There Will Come Soft Rains
by reader13lovesbooks
Summary: Haunting dreams drive Seto to Egypt and he returns with the Blue Eyes' stone tablet. The power of magic and science extracts its ka, but Seto and Kisara's second chance is threatened by the villains of two lifetimes and the hands of the gods themselves.
1. Three Years Ago

**First Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic. Please tell me about any glaring mistakes. English dub names, set in US. I also must credit "Paper Roses" by Kisara Strife as the main reason for getting me interested in this pairing. :)**

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><p><em>If you live in the past, you die in the present.<em>

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><p>One: Three Years Ago<p>

Lightning seared across the torrential sky, lighting up the room, for a brief second illuminating the prone figure of Seto Kaiba as he was beset by invisible demons.

_Long, white hair danced before him as she stood in front of him like a shield._

Still asleep, the young man clenched his hand around his pillow, nails threatening to tear through it.

_Blue eyes, once vibrant, now dull and clouded by death._

His near-incoherent mutters were deafening in the silent bedroom. "Foolish… Don't… Please… Stay with me…"

_Her voice, like that of an angel's, made his name sound sweet. "Seto…"_

"No…"

_"Seto!"_

"Don't do it…"

"_SETO!"_

"KISARA!" Seto Kaiba shot up, staring at something only he could see as lightning once again shone on his haunted face. "Kisara…" His cool sheets bunched at his waist as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands. "Kisara…"

Three years. Three years since he had seen the girl.

No, that wasn't quite true. Three years since he had been sent back to ancient Egypt, yes. But she had haunted his dreams almost every night ever since. The only reprieves he got from nightmares of her death had been during the height of the War, when innocent blood streamed down the streets, rivers near battlefields turned red, and governments all around the world demanded he convert KaibaCorp back to manufacturing arms for their countries. Some nights he had worked so hard beating back the bloodthirsty mongrels that he simply forgot to sleep.

"Kisara…"

He caught his hand unconsciously edging towards the deck of cards on the nightstand and immediately snatched the offending body part back.

Three years since he had last touched his Duel Monsters deck.

He tried to tell himself that the reason he'd stopped playing was because the War had taken precedence over everything else (except Mokuba). No time for dueling. No time for games. But as he stared at the dusty stack of cards, he knew the real reason was because he could no longer even look at his Blue Eyes, let alone play it.

"Kisara…"

The War was over. Had been for almost a year now. Compared to the previous two World Wars, this one had been relatively short, lasting not even two years, but devastation had still been great. Battles, executions, torture, massacres, rebellions. And then there were the "natural disasters" – hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornados, massive lightning storms.

It was a miracle Domino City still stood. Of course, it was mainly a gaming city, but if KaibaCorp _had_ agreed to revert back to weapons manufacturing (which would've happened over Seto's dead body), Domino City would most certainly have been targeted.

So while the rest of the country, the rest of the world, still recovered from the War, life in Domino City went on as always.

Except for Seto Kaiba.

"Kisara…"

Something snapped inside him. Magic, science, fantasy, reality were locked away in a deep recess of his mind for another day. If he didn't do _something_ about the girl, he was going to go insane. He was probably well on the path to madness already.

Seto reached past his deck and picked up his cell phone, flipping it open and dialing the number he had memorized weeks ago in case he made this very decision. On an afterthought, he glanced at the time as the first ringtone sounded. 3:19 a.m. It would be the middle of the morning in Egypt.

She picked up on the third ringtone. "_Hello_?"

"Ishizu, it's Kaiba." He forced the next words out from between clenched teeth. "I need a favor."

A pause. "_I'm listening._"

Seto took a deep breath and prepared to crash-land into the world of Yugi and the Geek Squad and everyone else who believed in magic and rainbows and sunshine. "Three years ago, when I went to Egypt and you told me to go to that stone tablet with the pharaoh and the priest dueling…"

"_Like the others, you were sent back five thousand years, yes_?"

He might as well send himself to the mental asylum now. "Yugi tried to explain all the reincarnation and Shadow Dueling nonsense to me, but there's one thing I remember, and I need an answer from you."

"_What is it_?"

"Does the stone tablet of the Blue Eyes White Dragon still exist?"

He could hear a pin dropping somewhere in Cairo. "_Ah_," Ishizu finally said. "_You've finally made up your mind about Kisara_."

Seto clenched his jaw. "Does the tablet exist or not?"

"_Yes, it's been very well preserved. When shall we expect you_?"

"I'm flying the jet out first thing in the morning." Already he was up and flinging things into his suitcase.

"_If I may be so bold, I suggest you ask Yugi Muto for his help_." Seto scowled, knowing full well Ishizu couldn't see him, but she seemed to be able to tell his expression anyway. "_The Pharaoh's spirit still resides in the Millennium Puzzle. He will have invaluable knowledge, especially since what you plan on doing has never been attempted before._"

"And what," Seto bit out, "am I supposedly planning?"

"_Releasing Kisara from the stone tablet. Take the day to ask Yugi for help. Call me when you have finalized your plans._" Ishizu hung up.

Even without that "clairvoyant" necklace of hers, Ishizu was still unnervingly outspoken about the future.

Seto leaned against the window, drumming his fingers on the glass. The storm had calmed and the faintest rosy hints of dawn tinged the night sky. Ask Yugi for help? _Please_. He wasn't that desperate.

Then again, he had no idea what the hell he was going to do once he got to Egypt. Ogle some carved rock until an ancient temple collapsed on him? One thing was for certain, Yugi Muto had an alter ego of sorts. It was hard to deny the height difference.

"Maybe there is some truth to this junk," Seto muttered, unknowingly echoing his own words from three years ago.

A knock on the door drew him out of his thoughts, and Mokuba poked his head into the room. "Seto? You all right? I thought I heard something."

Seto turned around and looked at his sleepy but concerned brother. "I'm fine. Go back to bed, Mokuba."

"Where are you going? I heard you telling someone about flying the jet out."

Seto pulled his laptop towards him to make plans for his absence. "Egypt. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone."

"Is this about that Kisara girl I heard you yelling about earlier?" Seto froze but didn't look up at Mokuba. "Yugi told me about what happened when you all went to Egypt three years ago. He said you were there with them and he told me about a girl named Kisara who became the Blue Eyes or something."

"Go to bed, Mokuba."

Mokuba's eyebrows rose. He'd been expecting Seto to snap about magic not being real and how it'd all been illusions, not a sigh of resignation. "Well, I'm coming with you."

Now Seto looked up. "No. You're staying here."

"Why?"

"It's –" Too dangerous? What was dangerous? Seto stared at his computer screen for a minute. It was summer, so he couldn't say Mokuba would be missing school. And Mokuba had been trying to convince him to go on vacation. At least Mokuba couldn't complain anymore. "Fine."

Another shocker. Seto had caved faster than he'd thought. "Awesome." Mokuba turned to go but paused. "You're inviting Yugi and his friends, too, right?"

"_Fine_!" If the universe wanted him to invite the Geek Squad that badly, then _fine_.

So as soon as the clock struck eight, Seto strode into Solomon Muto's Game Shop. The old man looked up with his customary smile, but the welcome greeting died on his lips as he saw who had entered his store. "Mr. Kaiba," he said warily.

"Mr. Muto," Seto said stiffly. His duel with the old man was something he'd rather forget about. "Would Yugi by any chance be around?"

"I will see if he is available." The old man backed out of the rear door, never letting his suspicious gaze leave Seto until the door swung shut. For the next ten minutes, Seto impatiently waited, coldly glaring at the various, colorful displays around the shop. He'd ripped up the only thing of value in here years ago.

The door swung open again and Yugi stepped into the shop – along with, much to Seto's chagrin, Wheeler, Taylor, and Gardner. They all looked half-dressed, still partially in pajamas, with mussed up hair and bleary eyes.

"Yo, rich boy, got another wardrobe makeover or somethin'?"

"At least I have more taste than slumber party-chic," Seto replied coolly. Did the mutt really expect him to still wear the same white trench coat from Battle City three years ago?

Yugi gave Joey a warning look before facing Seto. "What can we do for you, Kaiba?"

Great. It was already demeaning enough having to ask Yugi for help, but in front of the other three? No way in hell. "I'm planning a trip to Egypt that may be of some interest to you."

Yugi instantly perked up. "What's going on?"

"Let's just say it has to do something with Blue Eyes' 'magical' stone tablet."

The diminutive young man's eyes lit up. "So you have come around and started believing in it!"

"I said nothing of the sort!" Seto snapped. "To be honest, I don't care whether or not your magical fantasies are real. The only thing I'm interested in is getting that tablet."

Yugi's brow furrowed. "Does this have anything to do with Kisara?"

"No." It had _everything_ to do with Kisara.

"Why have you come here? What do you need me for?" he-with-the-tri-colored-hair asked, bewildered.

If only Seto knew that himself. "My contact in Egypt suggested it be in my best interest to come to you and your alter ego for consultation. You probably remember her."

"Ishizu? Huh." Yugi looked thoughtful for a minute. When he looked back up again, he was decided. "It seems it would be best if I joined you on your trip."

"What? Yug, you don' even know what Kaiba wants from ya! What if he's tryin' ta get your God Cards again or somethin'?" Wheeler demanded.

Seto leveled an icy glare at the blond mongrel. "In case you haven't noticed, there have been more important things going on in the past few years than Duel Monsters."

"Don' use the War card on me, money bags!" Wheeler snapped, holding up his fists. "While ya were sittin' up in that skyscraper of yours, I was fightin' on the front lines!"

Seto arched an eyebrow. "You actually enlisted in the army?"

Wheeler let out a humorless chuckle. "Never said it was da army. Fight under dat crazy? No way. I was bringin' that tyrant down while you were safe with all dat money to pay your way out!"

Seto narrowed his eyes. "Wrong. I never had to pay _my_ way out."

He let that sink in for a moment. It hit Gardner first. "Mokuba? They – they drafted Mokuba?"

"The insane excuse of a military dictator did lower the draft age to fourteen. And it's not all that easy to pay someone's way out, especially when the person you're paying is out of his mind." When the notice had come declaring Mokuba's participation in the War, Seto had shattered every breakable object in his study and probably sent several White House aides to long-term therapy. But even with the threat of the full-force of KaibaCorp bearing down on him, Fawkes, the ex-general who had somehow taken over the government, still declined contacting Seto, preferring instead to focus on sending children to the trenches. At least _some_ sane member of the White House staff had decided they could make an exception for just one kid.

Well, Wheeler was lucky he was still alive. No one had been quite sure who'd won. Upon Fawkes' demise, both the rebels and other nations around the world had claimed victory, though losses had been heavy on all sides, especially for the rebels. Once a more competent president had been rapidly elected, the U.S. government had transitioned back to the republic it had been before the rise of the short-lived military dictatorship.

"– still not sure what you need me for." Yugi's voice drew Seto back to the conversation.

"You can keep an eye on Mokuba, or just tour around the pyramids or whatever it is you do. I'm sure there'll be some use for you. Mokuba and I are leaving at nine tomorrow morning, so make your decision by then."

"So does this mean the rest of us can come along, too?" Taylor asked as Seto was about to leave.

Seto gritted his teeth. "_Yes_."

"Awesome, free vacation."

Seto left the shop before the urge to kill someone became overwhelming. He managed to calm his nerves on the ride back home, and he began considering ramifications he hadn't given a thought about during his pre-dawn pacing. He and Mokuba were about to set off on a last-minute trip with the Geek Squad to Egypt for several days, weeks, who knew how long, and all he had planned so far was that he had to see the Blue Eyes' stone tablet.

Perhaps a trip to the psychologist was due soon.

A storefront caught his eye. "Stop." The driver obeyed immediately. "I'll be right back." Seto stepped out of the limo and swept into the bookstore. It was a small, quiet, privately-owned place, and the teenaged cashier offered him a half-hearted greeting, not even glancing up from her magazine.

A sign directed him to the back of the store, and Seto skimmed the shelves, skipping past mythologies of Asia and Africa and Greece until he finally reached Egypt. He picked out a potential title and scanned the index. _Ka_ was definitely thoroughly explored. He was about to turn around when another book caught his eye.

_The Mythological Origins of Duel Monsters_.

Huh. Seto picked it up, immediately scowling upon seeing the author's name. Maximillion Pegasus. Seto almost shoved the book back on the shelf before reconsidering. As creepy as the one-eyed weirdo was, the book might actually have relevant information. Still scowling, Seto tucked the two books under his arm, slapped a hundred on the counter, and was out of sight by the time the cashier could even look up in surprise.

The two books sat on Seto's lap as the limo continued the journey back to the mansion. The mythology book's cover had the typical sphinx and pyramids. Pegasus' had a drawing of two ancient Egyptian duelists with a Blue Eyes and a Dark Magician hovering over them. Almost an exact copy of Ishizu's stone tablet.

And it could not be any more obvious that the duelist with the Dark Magician was meant to be Yugi Muto. That hair was automatically recognizable. So if that was Yugi, then that meant the other duelist was –

Seto viciously opened the book and glowered at Pegasus' joking explanation of the cover as an artist's rendition of Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba as ancient Egyptian duelists.

_Duel Monsters was inspired during a trip to Egypt_, read Pegasus' introduction. _There are beliefs that the ancient Egyptians played Shadow Games, with the ka of individuals stored in giant stone tablets until magical priests summoned the monsters from the tablets for their duels. Though many of these tablets have been devoured by time, some still exist in guarded ruins today. Perhaps they are remnants of the supernatural, still with us, the disbelievers._

Beneath the introduction was a photograph. Seto's eyes landed on the image of the stone tablet, carved with the beast that stood prominent in his deck.

He slammed the book shut. Magic or not, he was going to get his answers. One way or the other.

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><p><strong>Hehe. Hope I didn't disgrace Yu-Gi-Oh fanficcers everywhere. ^_^ Yes, Yami (as he will be referred to mostly, though Pharaoh will also be used) is still in the Puzzle. I haven't seen the show in years, and I've been skimming the videos on Hulu and the wikia pages for mostly Seto and Kisara info, so I am by no means an expert.<strong>

**The War that's referred to is World War III and is of my own creation - I don't believe the show gave any hint about a human war of any sort. As mentioned above, it lasted less than two years but with great casualties. Most believe it was instigated by General Fawkes' overthrow of the president and his military dictatorship, but there is mythological reasoning behind the cause, too. There'll be more explanation of the War later on. I am no expert on Egyptian mythology, either, and I'll be relying mostly on Wikipedia, but I'll be grateful if anyone wants to help me out later on. :)**

**Upcoming: Seto, Mokuba, and Yugi and his friends meet the Ishtars in Egypt.**

**Review please!**


	2. Touchdown

**Thanks so much to The Duelist's Heiress, justheretoreadff, Ricebovino, and Mademoiselle Coco for their reviews and alerts. :)**

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><p><em>Do not follow your heart. Lead your heart.<em>

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><p>Two: Touchdown<p>

Seto was very close to kicking Wheeler out of his jet and simply laughing as the mutt pitched somewhere in the Atlantic.

"Yo, rich boy, what's dis button do?"

"Hey, where's da flight attendant?"

"Sweeeet, built-in massage chairs…"

"Not really comfy with _you_ flyin' this plane."

"Where's da bathroom in dis place?"

It wouldn't be too difficult to cover up. _TRAGIC ACCIDENT AS GENEROUS CEO BRINGS FORMER CLASSMATES ON ALL-EXPENSES PAID OVERSEAS TRIP._ No one would ever know. Well, except Mokuba, though he wouldn't tell, but there was still the rest of the Geek Squad to contend with.

Ugh. Seto rubbed his throbbing temple. Usually when his head started aching, he switched on the autopilot and took a nap on one of the couches in the back, but that was currently out of the question. He'd rather endure a migraine for the next couple of hours than be surrounded by Yugi and his cheerleaders. How Mokuba could stand them, he would never know.

"Hey, Kaiba?"

Seto's eyes flickered toward Yugi, who had moved toward the pilot's seat while the others were busy watching Mokuba and Gardner duel. "What?"

The other man looked like he was carefully chewing on his next words before finally spitting them out. "Do you love Kisara?"

Shouts of surprise erupted from the back as the jet suddenly jerked to the side. Seto quickly evened the plane before turning to glare at Yugi. "Excuse me?"

"I've just never taken you for the type to fly out to another country on just a whim. There must be some really compelling reason behind all this."

"Listen, Yugi, I don't have to explain myself to you, but I will tell you this. I just want to find an answer to this _problem_ so that it'll go away and I can live the rest of my life in peace. Whatever you seem to believe, I am _not_ in love with some girl who only exists in dreams and illusions. Got that?"

Yugi's eyes flashed crimson. "Kaiba! When are you going to get over yourself and accept that not everything has to be explained by science? Not everything is black and white! I thought you'd accepted your destiny!"

"Well, you're wrong. I control my own destiny. Just because some guy who looked like me had a thing for this Kisara girl doesn't mean it's going to happen to me." Seto envisioned a pair of deep, brilliant blue eyes, and something tugged at his chest. "I'm just looking for answers," he muttered, trying to convince himself more than he was Yugi.

Blue, blue, blue everywhere. In the ocean, in the sky. Seto almost twitched. He was starting to get allergic to the color. It made him feel funny.

He finally threw in the towel and turned on the autopilot, getting up and reluctantly joining the Dweeb Patrol. Pointedly ignoring everyone but Mokuba, Seto reached into the mini-fridge, took out a bottle of water, and settled down in the seat beside his little brother, quietly observing as Mokuba played Archfiend Soldier, taking out Tea's Shining Friendship.

"Kaiba, wanna duel?"

"No," Seto said flatly without even glancing at Wheeler.

"What, too chicken I'm gonna beat ya?" The mutt chortled as Taylor smirked and nodded in agreement.

"I don't play anymore." Seto sipped his water, raising his eyebrows when the Nerd Herd started gaping at him. "Is there a problem?" he deadpanned.

"So… you were serious when you said Duel Monsters wasn't a priority anymore?" Tea asked in disbelief. Yugi was looking at him as if he suddenly comprehended something and was trying to silently convey it to Seto.

_It's because of the Blue Eyes, isn't it?_

The Duel Monsters deck that had lain dormant on Seto's bedside table for years had been tossed into his briefcase at the last minute. Something had been calling out to him and it'd made him turn around in the doorway, stride back to the nightstand, and sweep it into a side pocket of his case.

Right, Tea had asked him a question. "Yes, I was," Seto said curtly as he stalked back to the cockpit. The Geek Squad was smart enough to know not to disturb him for the rest of the flight.

Touchdown allowed everyone to heave a sigh of relief as they landed on the tarmac of Luxor International. It was 10 p.m. and night had long since set on the city, only slightly lessening the muggy heat of the desert.

Once the luggage had been removed and the jet parked safely in the hangar, Seto strode into the terminal, still crowded with incoming and outgoing travelers and family even at this late hour. Mokuba was yawning at his side and the Dweeb Patrol was stumbling around somewhere behind him. Seto was too busy looking around for the Ishtars to be tired.

"Kaiba." The unflappably calm voice of Ishizu Ishtar sounded from beside him, and everyone whirled around to face the sarong-garbed Egyptian. "Mokuba, Tea, Joey, Tristan… Pharaoh."

Seto rolled his eyes as Yugi bowed his head to Ishizu. "Niceties over, can we get going?" the CEO snapped irritably.

Ishizu nodded acquiescently and gestured for them to follow her out of the airport. "It'll be a bit crowded in the car."

In truth, it was a miracle that they all actually managed to fit. Besides the driver's seat and shotgun, the jeep had one back row on the inside and two seats hanging out of the back where the trunk ought to have been.

"Uh…" Wheeler pointed. "Are there seatbelts on the two seats in the back?"

"Yes."

"Dibs!" Wheeler and Taylor launched into the trunk seats, their legs dangling off the sides. Seto's mouth set in a firm line as he made sure Mokuba got in the jeep before he himself slid into the front passenger seat. Yugi and Tea joined Mokuba, and once everyone was buckled up and most of the luggage precariously stacked in the crowded back, Ishizu drove off.

Her eyes never left the dark road. "Are you staying in a hotel or would you like rooms in our villa?"

"Uh, what do you suggest?" Yugi piped up before Seto could even open his mouth.

"The closest hotel to where the stone tablets are stored is an hour away. We have plenty of room for you all and our place is half an hour from the site."

Everyone looked at Seto, their benefactor for the trip – except for Wheeler and Taylor, who were too busy flinging pebbles on the deserted road behind them. To be expected. Seto weighed the options – a Hyatt would afford more luxury than the Ishtars' home, but then again, commute time to the site would be cut in half at the Ishtars', and the sooner he saw the Blue Eyes tablet, the better.

He grunted. "Your place is fine." Hopefully they wouldn't be staying here too long, either.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Ishizu," Tea quickly added.

"It is no problem at all for old friends," Ishizu demurred. "Marik and Odion are also glad for guests."

Seto frowned at the mention of the younger man. He still had a grudge over Marik hijacking the Battle City finals. If Marik Ishtar was still mentally unstable, then Seto and Mokuba were going to that Hyatt, no questions asked.

"So you don't live in your underground home anymore?" Yugi was asking Ishizu.

"No. That place carries bad memories for the three of us. We wanted to start anew. Pharaoh, are the Millennium Items all safe?"

"Yes," Yugi's alter ego spoke. "In fact, I brought them with me, just in case…"

Seto scoffed. "Just in case what? You find some hocus-pocus spell to use on the stone tablets?"

Yugi heaved a sigh of exasperation. "Kaiba, when are you going to accept that there are things in this world that your technology just can't solve?"

Seto took his cell phone out of his pocket and held it up. "See this, Yugi? I can do over a thousand actions on this phone, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Science is what gets things done in the end, not magic wands." He half-expected to hear Tea start preaching about being more open-minded or Ishizu saying something cryptic about destiny drivel but ended up somewhat surprised when neither spoke. Whatever. Silence was never a bad thing.

He spent the remainder of the car trip confirming Roland's orders in his absence and skimming through KaibaCorp stocks on his phone. By the time they reached the Ishtars' modest-sized villa, almost everyone was yawning, and Mokuba was asleep. The now-sixteen year old usually stayed up late and definitely hadn't napped during the flight. If he were three years younger and a foot shorter, Seto would've piggybacked him into the house, but now Seto just nudged his brother awake.

"Odion is sharing with Marik for the duration of your stay, so Yugi, Joey, and Tristan can have Odion's room," Ishizu said, pointing at the door. "Tea, if you don't mind, you can room with me." The brunette nodded, stifling another yawn. "Kaiba, you and your brother can share the guest room. It's the last one on the right."

Seto nodded and led the half-asleep Mokuba to the aforementioned room. Two neatly-made twin beds rested in the cool, dark room, and a woven rug covered the stone floor. Mokuba fell onto the bed nearest the door and was immediately dead to the world. A small smile found its way onto Seto's face as he drew the blanket over his sleeping brother. Suitcases were moved underneath the window to take care of in the morning. Cell phone was dumped on the nightstand, black trench coat was carelessly tossed over a carved wooden chair. Kicking off his shoes, Seto followed Mokuba's example and went to sleep.

He found himself wandering in the world of dreams, which looked suspiciously like Egypt. Hot sand folded beneath his sandaled feet and clear, azure skies hung overhead. A rushing river ran beside him, and he knelt, dipping his hand in the cold water. It certainly felt real enough. He frowned slightly as he noticed what he was wearing, slowly moving his gaze from the golden rod with the eye of Horus in his hand, to the golden bracelets on his arms, to the skin that was too tan to be his, and finally to the ridiculous blue and white getup he was in.

Oh, and how could he possibly forget the hat. He reached up and touched it, scowling at the heavy weight on his head.

The scent reached him first. The fragrance of lotuses wafting on the breeze, barely there at all…

"Priest Seto!"

He knew that voice. Seto turned around and met the stunningly blue eyes of the girl who haunted his dreams. Her creamy skin looked like it had never seen the light of day, odd for someone who lived in this climate. Her hair, white as snow with bluish undertones, fanned behind her gracefully. The worn out dress she was wearing – resembling more a potato sack than an actual piece of clothing, in his honest opinion – did her no favors but still could not hide the fragile beauty that she was.

"Seto." Her sweet voice repeated his name. "You came back."

"Ki – Kisara…" Hesitantly, Seto reached out, taking her much smaller hand in his. Their fingers easily intertwined, and still that soft smile lingered on her delicate face. After three years of dreams that bordered on nightmares, she was here. "This can't be real…"

She smiled sadly as she took his other hand. "You are right. It's not. This is only a dream."

"Well, so far it's been better than the ones I've had for the last few years," Seto remarked dryly. Why couldn't all his dreams have been like this one?

"I have been waiting for you. I have been alone for the past few thousand years."

"You don't have to be alone anymore." And neither did he.

Her hand reached up to touch his cheek. "Seto, when you wake up, I will be gone, and everything will be as it was when you went to sleep."

His grasp on her remaining hand tightened. "I will stay in Egypt if it means my dreams will be this much pleasanter."

She shook her head, silver hair swishing to the sides. "No, Seto. Do not lose yourself in your dreams. For both of our sakes, please do not lose yourself in my world."

"But –"

She pressed a finger to his lips. "_Bring me into yours_."

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><p><strong>And the plot thickens. ^^<strong>

**Just the other day I was trying to talk to my friend about Yu-Gi-Oh because she said she watched it a few years ago, but the conversation was over before it even started. Why? First question that popped up:**

**"Who or what is Seto Kaiba?" *facepalm**

**Anyway, upcoming: A peek into Seto's pre-orphanage life, his _very _slowly growing tolerance for magic mumbo-jumbo, and a tattoo.**

**Review please!**


	3. Dawn

**Many thanks to The Duelist's Heiress and Ricebovino for their lovely reviews and to Lady Santos and fixeddice for their alerts!**

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><p><em>Always stay connected to the source of strength.<em>

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><p>Three: Dawn<p>

For a minute, Seto was very confused when he woke up. Frowning, he stared up at the falcon-motif ceiling, trying to figure out where he was. Mokuba's soft snores from the other side of the room brought into sharp relief memories of the day before.

Jet. Dweeb Patrol. Egypt. Ishtars. And… why did he smell lotuses somewhere?

He brought his hand to his lips, where he could still feel the ghost of a touch lingering, and he desperately clung onto the feeling for as long as he could as his eyes slid shut. Slender, gentle hands, gliding along his cold arms. Skin as soft as downy, pressing against his face. Ambrosial breath, threatening to make him drown willingly in a river of sweetness. Warm, rosy lips, caressing his mouth as the sounds of her heavenly sighs filled his ears.

He slowly blinked, eyes opening again, and he felt almost disappointed upon realization that none of it had been real. A glance out the window told him the sun hadn't even risen yet, so he tried to go back to sleep. A futile endeavor. He was too torn between having dreams of her and going to the site where her spirit lied to be able to fully relax.

Seto threw off the cotton sheets and stood, padding over to where he had carelessly deposited his and Mokuba's bags last night. He knelt in front of his black suitcase and hunted for a change of clothes. The airplane smell was still clinging on him. Grabbing the necessities, Seto opened the door, praying he was the only one up at this godforsaken hour (damn jet lag) as he looked down the hall. Empty. He shut the door behind him and went to the bathroom Ishizu had pointed to.

Locked the door – didn't want any of the Nerd Herd or the Ishtars to walk in. Shower, cold – if Egypt was usually hot, then today was going to be scorching, he could feel it already. Soap – he was using his own, so not sharing any toiletries with anyone. Same went for the towels, not that he doubted Ishizu's level of cleanliness too much (she was a woman, women liked being clean), but still.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. His hands and arms performed the perfunctory actions, leaving his mind free to wander._ Please do not lose yourself in my world_, she had said. _Bring me into yours_.

_Bring me into yours._

"Bring me into yours," Seto muttered, his quiet voice engulfed by the sound of water spraying against the acrylic tub. How could he, or anyone for that matter, bring a dream into the real world? Three years ago, he would have dismissed the whole thing as his own subconscious trying to tell him to get a girl. And then he would have dismissed that notion as teenage urges and buried himself in work.

Now, though… now he was grasping at straws. If there was a way to bring her into the real world, any way at all, he would do it. Even if that meant he had to believe in the magical baloney that Yugi and his friends seemed to worship. Seto chuckled humorlessly. It was funny, when he was younger and his biological parents had been alive, he had adored magic. The Narnia series and the first few Harry Potter books had been his entire life.

Then his parents died, he and Mokuba were sent to the orphanage, and he'd learned that he couldn't just wave a wand and make everything better. But it wasn't until Gozaburo that any and all foolish fantasies about magic were leeched out of his system, and calculus, physics, and computer engineering seized their places. So really, if he did open up his mind to the magic hogwash, he would simply be regressing back to a time when life had been much happier for him.

What could it hurt, besides his reputation should word ever get out that Seto Kaiba, the youngest ever CEO of a Fortune 500 company, believed in magic?

As Seto reached out to turn off the shower, his gaze inevitably fell on the blue and white speck on his inner left wrist. A little something he'd gotten after Battle City, nothing much, just a dime-sized tattoo of a Blue Eyes. Once the dreams had started and he'd stopped playing Duel Monsters, he made sure his watch covered it most of the time, but when his wrist was bare he could usually delude himself into thinking it an odd freckle or birthmark for the few seconds it was visible.

Now that he thought about it, he was awfully good at deluding himself.

With an almost violent jerk, he switched off the water and wrapped his towel around his waist before stepping out. As he rubbed his hair dry, he stared at the fogged up mirror, trying to imagine himself wearing the priest-y hat from the dream.

He snorted and grabbed his toothbrush. Why on Earth any of his past lives would wear that stupid excuse for a hat, he would never know.

Once Seto finished dressing and exited the bathroom, he noticed that he was still the only one awake. Great. If they were all up, they could be heading out to the tablet site that much sooner. He resisted the temptation to ruthlessly wake them all up and instead returned to his room, where Mokuba was still snoozing away. Seto dumped his laundry into a bag and draped his towels over another chair – and then he found himself at a loss what to do. He knew he wouldn't be able to focus on work, and he had no desire to make the fifteen-minute walk to the village. Sighing, he pushed aside the light, whispery, white curtains and opened the window, letting the breeze into the room before the sun rose and brought its unbearable heat with it.

The Ishtars' new villa was close to the river, so the earth around the house was fertile enough for (presumably) Ishizu to grow and tend to a garden. A patch of daisies dwelled beneath Seto's window, yellow centers and white petals gazing up at him innocently. He rested his arms on the windowsill, watching as dawn began to stir.

The tiny, distant speck of light in the sky was rapidly expanding, growing bigger and bigger and rising higher and higher until the indigo night disappeared, and burning gold and orange and red took its place, surrounding that which all life revolved around.

The sun.

"Ra to the Egyptians, Helios to the Greeks, Apollo to the Romans," Seto muttered to himself absentmindedly. Classical mythology had been another thing he'd indulged in before the orphanage. If something went wrong? Blame the gods, then kill a goat or two to appease their anger.

Seto had finished college early – computers and business, of course, not that he didn't already know everything there was to know. Now he wondered if things had gone differently, if his parents hadn't died, what would he have majored in? Would he have had a leaning toward literature instead of science? What kind of person would he have been?

Would he be more willing to listen to Yugi and Ishizu?

Muffled clatters and banging sounded from some other room in the house. So with dawn rose his hosts, then. About time.

His head was clear enough now that he could concentrate on the influx of emails that had spawned overnight: Roland assuring him all was well (Seto would see about that.); KaibaCorp board pestering him about his location and when to expect his return (None of their business, the assholes.); smaller gaming industries practically begging for a contract (Hmm… no.); government "politely" requesting the conversion of several factories back to arms manufacturing, again (How many times did he have to tell them!); Pegasus asking what he thought about his book. (What the – how the _hell_ did the cartoon-obsessed freak find out he bought the book?)

Last one didn't even deserve a response. None of them, really, except maybe Roland… and it was usually better for one's sake to respond to a direct message from the White House, even if the bureaucrats couldn't give a damn about doing the same. Whenever the fliers came around asking for campaign donations, they went straight in the shredder. Alas, the same could not be done to taxes.

Let it not be said that Seto Kaiba willingly had anything to do with the government.

Mokuba abruptly shot up in bed, sniffing the air like a starving hound. "Food!" He leapt onto his feet, ready to charge out of the room like a rampaging rhino.

"Mokuba." The younger Kaiba looked up at his brother. "Clean yourself up first. Then eat." Seto would not have his little brother be seen as a savage. Though Mokuba's black hair had been significantly shortened over the years (after a classmate's idiotic comment about looking like a girl – said classmate went home with a bloody nose, of course), it was still an untamable mess.

And it had been over twenty-four hours since his last shower, and that had been _before_ the plane ride.

Mokuba huffed but grabbed his stuff out of his duffel bag and raced into the hall. He was in and out of the bathroom so fast that Seto would have suspected Mokuba had just jumped in the shower with his clothes on had it not been for the dirty clothes flung in his direction, which Seto expertly caught in the laundry bag.

"'Kay-thanks-bro-food!" And Mokuba was out of sight, determinedly following his nose.

Seto could remember when he'd been that hungry, all the time, twenty-four seven. Of course while his body had put all that food into stretching his height, Mokuba was clearly going to be more solid. Seto set the laundry bag inside the door and sedately followed Mokuba's path, obvious from where the carpeting had been disturbed.

Compared to the rest of the villa's décor, the Ishtars' kitchen was rather modern. Stainless steel, granite, and mellow ecru were tastefully arranged in a kitchen fit for any New York penthouse or San Francisco townhouse. The food, on the other hand, would not be seen in a typical American café.

"Good morning, Kaiba," Ishizu greeted him as she poured Mokuba a light pink-orange drink. Odion was at the stove, cooking. Seto didn't even bother trying to conceal his suspicious gaze as he looked around for the third Ishtar. "Marik is still out." Ishizu's tone was laden with disapproval. "He stayed with a friend for the night."

Where could there possibly be teen parties or clubs out here in the middle of nowhere? But if Marik still had that motorcycle of his, then the possibilities were endless. Not Seto's concern at any rate. As long as Marik didn't try to drag Mokuba anywhere while they were here.

Seto studied the breakfast buffet laid before him, trying to identify the unfamiliar dishes. Cheeses and jams, some greenish cakes, bread, a stew of some sort, and two pitchers, one of which held Mokuba's drink while the other was a dark red, and he could smell eggs on the stove.

"These are bean cakes," Ishizu said, pointing at the green pastries before Seto had to ask. "The bread is eesh baladi, a local recipe, and the bean stew is called ful. Mokuba has apricot juice, and the other is a hibiscus drink."

Seto nodded his thanks and poured himself a glass of the hibiscus drink. Ice cold, sweet, tangy – not terrible, though still nothing compared to coffee. He picked up a bean cake and broke off a piece, examining it curiously before tasting it. Huh. Egyptian cuisine wasn't too bad. He could see why Mokuba was wolfing down everything within reach as if it were his last meal.

There was quiet murmuring in the hallway before Yugi and Tea entered the kitchen, both looking refreshed – and famished. "Morning, everyone!" Tea chirruped as she and Yugi sat down.

"Morning," Yugi echoed, helping himself to a bowl of stew. "So what are we up to today?"

"You'll be going to the stone tablet site, although," Ishizu said, her eyes flickering toward Seto, "I was wondering if you could take a detour first."

Seto scowled. "We're not here to sightsee, Ishizu."

"I am aware of that, but this is something I feel you ought to see, you most of all, Kaiba."

He swept his arm out in a mocking gesture for her to elaborate. "Then please, Ishizu, would you mind telling us where you're planning on taking us?"

"The Valley of the Kings."

"Heh? What's dat?" Wheeler and Taylor trudged into the room, looking like they'd just rolled out of bed and followed their stomachs. More likely than not. The sight of food perked them up and they launched themselves into the seats across from Seto and Mokuba.

Tea rolled her eyes at her friends. "Guys, we've been to the Valley, remember? When we went back in time and looked for the Pharaoh's name?"

"Ohhhh, right." Taylor grabbed one of the cheese-eggs-on-toast. "Where all the pharaohs' tombs are. What about it?"

"We're going there," Yugi said.

Wheeler, who had just crammed as much food as humanly possible in his cheeks, spent an agonizingly long minute forcing himself to swallow. "But –" He hacked his throat. "But why're we goin' back? I thought we were headin' for da stone tablets."

For the first time that morning, Odion's deep voice rumbled. "There is a tomb in the Valley that you should visit."

"We've already been to the Pharaoh's tomb." Tea quickly clarified, "I mean, the Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh."

Odion inclined his head in Yugi's direction. "Not his." His eyes traveled to Seto. "His."

Seto's icy glare silenced whatever crass comment Wheeler had been about to make before a single word could be uttered by the mutt. "And just why is it so important that I see some dead guy's body?"

"Pharaoh Seto is not the only one at rest in this tomb," Ishizu said, stirring her tea. "Perhaps seeing for yourself what is inside will reassure you that what you desire still has a link to this world, that it once existed and was real."

Damn psychic abilities again. "Fine, I'll take a look at this tomb," Seto sneered. "Are we ready to go yet or not?"

"Unfortunately, Odion and I have other business to take care of today." The corner of Ishizu's mouth twitched. "We cannot take you to the tomb, though we will join you at the tablet site."

Yugi frowned, puzzled. "Then who's guiding us to the tomb?"

The kitchen door burst open, and Marik Ishtar stood on the threshold, hands on hips and broad smile on face. "Hey, Ishizu! Where be my tourists?"

Seto face-palmed.

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><p><strong>Hehe, I'm going to have a lot of fun with Marik later on in this story. ^^ I always thought if he wasn't possessed by Yami Marik, he'd be kinda cool. But that might just be me. <strong>

**The upcoming scene with Pharaoh Seto's tomb was inspired by a scene in Kisara Strife's "Paper Roses." If you like SetoxKisara (which I'm assuming you do, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this...) then you should definitely check it out if you haven't already.**

**Upcoming: Seto goes to the tomb of his past life and, finally, to the stone tablet site.**

**Review please! (If you want, you can request a short preview of the next chapter. :D)**


	4. Valley of the Kings

**Thanks so much to Lady Santos and The Duelist's Heiress for their reviews and to talkstoangels77 and Meowth That's Write for their alerts!**

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><p><em>We can't see the picture because we're standing in the frame.<em>

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><p>Four: Valley of the Kings<p>

"Ishizuuuuuu, it's _my_ motorcycle!"

The normally placid Egyptian woman folded her arms and glowered, successfully cowing her brother into submission. "Disappearing off to Ra knows where in the middle of the night, coming back at noon to sleep, only for the entire cycle to start over again – I've had enough, Marik Ishtar! You're nineteen. Act your age! If I didn't know any better, I would think you were sneaking across the river every night for dance clubs in the city."

Marik coughed and shuffled his feet.

"_Marik Ishtar_!"

"You should be happy that I actually came back on time for this tour-the-tomb thing!" Marik retorted.

Ishizu narrowed her eyes and slipped Marik's Totoro-shaped keychain into some invisible pocket of her dress. "Take them to Pharaoh Seto's tomb in the Valley, break for lunch at noon, then go to the temple of the stone tablets at one."

"Ooh, I'm Ishizu, watch me boss poor, little Marik around like the slave-driver that I am," Marik mimicked. Ishizu whacked him with a dish towel. "Ow! Stop it, woman! I'm going, I'm going, I'll take the stupid jeep! Geeze!"

"Hey, Seto?" Mokuba whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad we don't have a sister." Mokuba received a small smile in reply.

"Ishtar Tours, now departing," Marik muttered mutinously as he stalked out the door.

"Uh…" Taylor rubbed the back of his head. "Marik's not still… possessed, is he?"

"_No_," said sharply Yugi, Ishizu, and Odion at the same time.

"Oookay, just making sure, heh-heh." Taylor held his hands up in an I-come-in-peace manner, grinning sheepishly as he backtracked outside.

"I still think this is a waste of time," Seto groused as he and Mokuba also exited the villa.

"Who knows, maybe we'll learn something cool!"

Seto shrugged, pulling on his trench coat as he slid into the front seat. Only a second too late did he remember whom he would have to sit next to as Marik hopped into the driver's seat. "Long time no see, Kaiba." Seto didn't bother voicing his displeasure. His death glare ought to communicate it satisfactorily. "Touchy," the Tomb Keeper mumbled, starting the engine.

Wheeler was panting from the heat as he took his seat in the rear. "Jesus, Kaiba, how can you wear a _coat_ in dis weather?"

"That's 'cause he's cold-blooded," Taylor muttered, sniggering at the jibe he'd obviously meant for Seto to hear.

The CEO ignored them. His coats were designed to reflect the weather, so in this case it was keeping the heat out. Besides, he'd have the last laugh when Wheeler and Taylor finished the day with painful sunburns. "Can we get going already?" Seto asked irately just as Yugi and Tea sprinted outside and half-threw themselves into the back seat.

"All aboard? Okay, ready-set-go!" Marik floored it, and everyone's heads slammed into the backs of their seats. Wheeler and Taylor would've tumbled out of the jeep had it not been for their seatbelts.

"Hey! Slow down!" Mokuba wailed, desperately gripping the side of the car as they raced over a series of potholes and ruts. "Y-y-y-your g-g-going w-way too faaaast!"

"Don't worry!" Marik yelled. "There aren't any other cars around for us to crash into!"

"How comforting! Now we can just run into the next camel instead!" Seto snapped.

"Seriously! Can't we slow down just a teensy bit?" Tea begged. Beside her, Yugi was frozen in fear. Wheeler and Taylor were screaming hysterically.

Marik sighed in exasperation. "Fine, fine, you boring people." The speedometer abruptly dropped from eighty to forty.

"Gee, thanks a lot, Marik," Wheeler drawled sarcastically, giving the Tomb Keeper a dirty look. His and Taylor's faces were covered with dust from all the sand that had been disturbed by the speeding vehicle.

"Quit complaining, it's thanks to me that we're almost there." Indeed, as they rounded the bend, it appeared as if the Earth had suddenly opened beneath them.

"Whoa!" Mokuba pressed his face against the window, staring in awe. They were driving right along the edge of a sheer cliff, which loomed high over a vast crater. Ant-sized people were barely visible, bustling around and snapping pictures of the ancient stone mausoleums.

"Welcome to the Valley of the Kings." Marik turned onto a steep, downhill ramp.

Despite himself, Seto leaned forward in curiosity as the hallowed tombs got nearer and nearer, until finally they were amongst them in the crowd – which seemed to be composed of foreign, photo-happy tourists who took their sweet time sauntering out of the jeep's path.

Marik seemed to be cursing the crowd, too, slamming on the horn as a pair of particularly rotund Americans in Hawaiian shirts waddled by. The two tourists cast a wary look at the irritated young man and scurried to the side, and the jeep continued trudging through the hordes.

"Is it going to be this crowded in Pharaoh Seto's tomb?" Yugi asked.

"No. Very few of the tombs are actually open to the public, and Pharaoh Seto's definitely is not one of them," Marik explained. He pulled over to a rather secluded spot and parked the jeep. "We continue on foot from here." The group of seven walked out of sight, disappearing behind the tombs. The Tomb Keeper pointed at a distant stone edifice, resting atop a hill. "That is our destination."

The hard walk had everyone but Marik and Seto gasping for breath; Marik because he was used to it, Seto out of sheer determination not to look as weak as the others. Upon reaching the top of the hill, Wheeler hunched over, resting his hands on his knees as he wheezed. "My God, Kaiba, you're like a robot or somethin'."

"Unlike you, I don't spend my days lying around playing video games. And I am not your God."

Mokuba recovered first and had approached the tomb's entrance, touching the plain gray stone. "It doesn't look like much," he said dubiously. "Are you sure we're at the right place?"

"That's the genius of it." Marik stepped up beside Mokuba. "The tomb was purposely designed to look insignificant so that tomb robbers would pass over it in favor of ransacking the more luxuriously-styled crypts. To an outsider, this tomb would appear to have belonged to an impoverished but respected noble, not a pharaoh who ruled in a time of abundance and riches." Marik glanced at Seto before looking back at Mokuba. "Besides, this tomb's treasure isn't in the form of gold and jewelry."

The Tomb Keeper led the way inside, followed by Mokuba and Seto, and then Yugi and his friends. Marik picked up an oil lantern lying by the entrance and lit it. Taylor let out a low whistle as they journeyed deeper into the depths. "Wow. Even if some robbers didn't get put off by the outside, they would've been scared off once they got in."

"Stay close," Marik warned as they stepped onto a long, creaky wooden bridge. "Whereas the 'Nameless' One's tomb was set with booby-traps, the dangers in this one are in dead ends and dark chasms."

As if on cue, the rotten plank beneath Wheeler's foot splintered and snapped, and the blond yelped as he started to fall into the black pit below.

"JOEY!" his friends screeched.

Fast as lightning, Seto's hand reached out and seized Wheeler's wrist. Taylor helped him pull Wheeler back up onto the dangerously swaying bridge, which Marik was frantically trying to steady.

Wheeler's face was white as a sheet as he gripped the rope railing, staring at the abyss he would've plummeted into had Seto been a second too late. "You saved my life there, Kaiba… Er, thanks."

"Don't mention it, Wheeler."

"I mean, I never –"

"Seriously. Don't mention it. _Ever_." Seto shoved his hands into his pockets and followed Mokuba off the bridge.

Marik waited for them all to step off before moving on. "You all right, Joey?"

"I think dat fall took a few years off my life, but other than dat, I'm okay."

"Good. No more bridges, but there's a maze ahead, so whatever you do, don't lose sight of each other," Marik cautioned, and they entered a stone labyrinth. Without even batting an eyelash, the Tomb Keeper navigated the treacherous paths, decisively making turns where Seto admitted even he wouldn't know where to go.

"How do you know the way so well?" Yugi wondered as they turned right at an intersection.

"You spend your entire life growing up in these houses of the dead, you learn a thing or two."

Then Taylor nearly tripped over a skeleton, and Tea shrieked at the sight of the dusty bones. "_What is that_?"

"A trespasser. Wasn't here the last time..." Marik nudged the skeleton with his foot, uprooting its grinning skull, which rolled away into the darkness. "Unfortunately for this poor fellow, we're almost there. Should've held on a bit longer."

After the very next turn was a large, sandstone door, inscribed with hieroglyphs. "Beyond lies the Great Pharaoh Seto and His White Queen," Seto murmured.

Everyone stared at him, even Mokuba. Yugi looked incredulous. "You can read the words, too?"

Seto's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't even realized… "So it seems," he said stiffly.

Marik looked pensive as he moved forward, grazing his hand along the door until he found a hidden lever, and he pulled. The door slowly rolled open, revealing a vast, drafty chamber. In the center lay two sarcophaguses and some urns and other relics were tucked neatly into the corners.

What caught Seto's attention first though were the images on the walls. His hand traced the easily recognizable shape of the Blue Eyes, inlaid in silver. The white dragon was curled around something, as if it were protecting its treasure. He leaned in for a closer look.

"Seto, you should come take a look at this!" Mokuba's excited voice caught his attention, and Seto strode over to where everyone was crowded around the sarcophaguses. "I think that's you."

The larger sarcophagus was, unlike most others that were made of gold, made of silver and depicted a man at his prime. In the clasped hands was a short staff that looked suspiciously like the Millennium Rod. Seto scrutinized the carved face mercilessly, trying to ignore the shivers crawling up his spine as he tried to deny the obvious resemblance. "It could be anyone," he said gruffly. The others started to protest but he'd already turned away to look at the second sarcophagus.

It was much significantly smaller than the pharaoh's and made of pure white marble. Not even a single blemishing vein. But the perfection of the marble wasn't what had captured his attention so wholeheartedly – it was the girl lying on top.

At least, it looked like a girl lying on the sarcophagus. The sculptor had done an incredibly good job. Every crease in the clothing, every strand of her hair. Had it not been for the two sapphires inlaid in the eyes, she could have looked like she was sleeping. Kisara had certainly been pale enough for anyone to be able to mistake the carving for her.

"It's like seein' a ghost," came Wheeler's hushed whisper.

Yugi, though, was looking at Seto, not the sarcophagus. "Kaiba? What are you thinking?"

Any and all doubts he'd had about the vision from three years ago, in ancient Egypt, vanished. Here was proof that Kisara had lived and died. Here was proof that he did have a past life in which he was High Priest – then pharaoh.

If Seto Kaiba were a weaker man, he would've stumbled backward in shock. But he stood still, expression unreadable as he continued gazing down at the carving. "I think," he said at long last, "we're ready to see the stone tablets now."

As the others filed out of the chamber, he tentatively touched the marble cheek of the girl. Cold. She had been warmer in his dreams. He withdrew his hand and exited the room, never looking back.

Everyone was silent on the drive back to the village, mostly because no one wanted to disturb Seto from his thoughts. He had no reaction when they arrived. He had no reaction when Marik distributed Egyptian pounds to everyone to buy lunch. He had no reaction when Mokuba tugged on his sleeve, asking what he wanted to eat. He had no reaction when Yugi's friends gently pulled Mokuba away to browse the food stalls. He had no reaction when they returned almost an hour later and Mokuba placed some kind of pita bread sandwich on his lap.

He did, however, react when Marik sauntered back, asking if they were ready to go to the temple of the stone tablets. "About time we got going," Seto said flatly.

"Ah! He speaks!" Nevertheless, Marik hopped back into the jeep, and soon they were peeling away from the village.

Mokuba tapped Seto's shoulder. "Are you all right, big bro?"

"I'm fine, Mokuba."

"You were out of it for a while. What were you thinking about?"

Damned if he knew. His thoughts had been a chaotic swirl for the past hour, but one thing stood out: Kisara was real. She had existed once. And if the Blue Eyes' stone tablet really did contain her soul, or _ka_, then there was still a chance for… for something.

Instead of answering Mokuba's question, Seto held up the sandwich. "What is this?"

"Beef. It's really good. I had a few."

"Hm. I'm not really hungry right now." Seto put it on the dashboard. They were driving along the Nile, and Seto gazed at the river, thinking back on the dream. It hadn't _felt_ like a dream, he knew he had definitely touched the water and walked on the sand, and Kisara…

How could she _not_ be real?

He was surprised to find his own heart pounding when he suddenly realized they had arrived at the temple. Surrounded for miles by sand, the frame and support were strong and it still stood, though its great age was obvious. The jeep hadn't even come to a complete stop yet when Seto was already out and quickly walking toward the building, intent on reaching the temple at all costs. The surprised calls of the just-arrived Ishizu and Odion fell on deaf ears as he stepped inside.

The stone tablets nearer to the entrance were crumbling away, but the deeper into the temple, the better-preserved they were. Seto completely ignored them all, eyes set only on the tablet at the very end.

The Blue Eyes looked just as it had five thousand years ago. The dragon had not bowed to the whims of Time. As Seto's eyes traveled up to its head, the dragon seemed to stare back at him, its single visible eye glowing blue.

He threw his arm up to shield his own eyes as a ray of light arced from the top to bottom, seemingly cutting into the stone before dissipating. Then the single orb of light in the eye grew, spreading like liquid through the crevices in the tablet until the entire outline of the dragon was illuminated. A distant, familiar roar, and then he was blinded, engulfed by cyan light.

_Seto!_

"Kisara!" He squinted, trying to see. "Where are you?" A hazy figure stood before him, and he struggled to reach it. "How do I set you free?"

_There is a book, it will show itself to you!_ She was starting to fade. _Just remember – the two worlds, one you live in, one you used to deny, they _can_ work together!_

"Wait, come back!"

_They are warning me, my time is almost up. I will keep watching over you, we will see each other again! Goodbye, Seto!_ The light vanished, and he was left standing alone in front of a lifeless slab of stone.

His finger traced one of its grooves, seeking warmth that wasn't there. He could sense the others standing behind him, silent. Probably still in shock over what they had just seen. For once, the spirits hadn't wanted to talk to Yugi. She'd wanted Seto.

What had she said, his two worlds? The one he used to deny was obviously magic. But the one he lived in… Earth? Domino City? No, she said they _could_ work together, which meant at first glance they didn't look like they meshed. Polar opposites.

And the opposite of magic was science. He had plenty of that.

Seto turned around. "Ishizu, I need to transport this tablet back to Domino City immediately."

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><p><strong>I'd like to thank Kisara Strife as inspiration for the tomb scene with Pharaoh Seto and Kisara's sarcophaguses. The little "I'm not your God" quip came from one of my old history teachers; he was awesome. :) <strong>

**Upcoming: Pegasus shows up with an artifact that is key to Seto's pet project.**

**Review please! (Side note: the preview request still stands, even if I don't mention it. I just want to thank everyone who's kind enough to review - it makes me feel all happy and fuzzy inside. ^^)**


	5. Cipher

**Thanks to The Duelist's Heiress, hopelessmine, nitrateswalking, Meowth That's Write, biskittins, miaou5, and TeresaShiho for their reviews and to Ryuuki Kisaki for their fave!**

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><p><em>Success is born from failure.<em>

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><p>Five: Cipher<p>

"_Extraction failed. System overload. Automatic shutdown. Stand aside._"

Seto slammed down his fist, glowering at the red screen. From his view of the lab from the observation window, he could see smoke rising, hissing as the machinery drew back from the stone tablet.

Another failure. He had been at this for two months already, running endless scans. There was an incredibly strong source of power inside the stone, strong enough to be able to power all of Domino City for a year. But every single time he attempted to extract it, the result was always the same.

_Failure_.

Wearily, he looked back up as the lights shut themselves off in the lab. His gaze shifted slightly to the left. Taped on the glass window was a sheet of paper on which he had scrawled every relevant word Kisara had ever said to him.

_Bring me into yours. There is a book, it will show itself to you. Just remember, the two worlds, one you live in, one you used to deny, they can work together._

Unless she had been referring to Pegasus' Duel Monsters book, which he highly doubted, then no book related to the stone tablets had appeared. As for the two worlds, he was obviously working on the science. But magic – he hadn't spoken to Yugi or the Ishtars since the return from Egypt, and much as he hated to admit it, without them he didn't even know where to begin.

The buzzer sounded, and a receptionist spoke. "Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Pegasus is waiting in the lobby. He wants to speak with you right away."

Seto scowled and pounded on the speaker button. "I told you, I want no interruptions! Until my project is complete, all other KaibaCorp business is on hold!" When he had made clear his intentions to the KaibaCorp board, they all nearly had coronaries. Too bad. He was their boss, not the other way around.

"Uh, sir, Mr. Pegasus says that he has information pertaining to your project."

Seto stared at the pitch black lab, silently fuming over Pegasus and his oily nose. Once again, he had no idea how Pegasus had found out about his activities. That "mind-reading" Millennium Eye was under Yugi's possession now, anyway. "Tell him to hold his horses, I'll be up in a minute," Seto snarled, grabbing his coat and sweeping out to the elevator.

The elevator raced up to the lobby, where Pegasus was expectantly standing in front of the elevator doors. "Kaiba-boy, it's been much too long!"

"Let's just get this over with, Pegasus. What do you want?"

"Perhaps a more private setting would better suit this conversation…?"

Seto narrowed his eyes but led the way to a small conference room just off the lobby, and he waited impatiently for Pegasus to settle down in a chair. "So?"

"Not even going to offer me a drink, Kaiba-boy?"

"Don't push it."

"You want to get down to business? Fine. Kaiba, you need help with this extraction of the Blue Eyes' _ka_. And before you ask, a certain Mr. Yugi Muto – or, should I say, the Pharaoh – contacted me not too long ago, suspecting that I had something that could help." Pegasus smirked. "He was right."

Seto didn't buy it for even a minute. "And just where is this miracle tool of yours?"

Pegasus set his briefcase on the table. "Right here." He opened the lock and withdrew a carefully wrapped and cushioned package. He tugged open the protective wrapping, and Seto's eyes widened as the box-shaped object was revealed.

"The book," the young man whispered, fingers twitching as he suppressed the urge to touch it. The book was bound in faded leather, its cover imprinted with golden designs – most prominently, the eye of Horus. On closer look, he could see ancient runes, barely visible, nothing like anything Seto had ever seen. The pages were wafer-thin and yellowed, looking like they were a second away from crumbling into dust.

"The Millennium Spellbook," Pegasus said. "It was from a spell in this very book that the Millennium Items were created."

Then surely there must be a spell that could help him. But Seto peered at Pegasus suspiciously. "Where did you get this?"

"Well, you know from my book the details of my adventures in Egypt." Pegasus chuckled at the dark look on Seto's face. "Oh, you didn't read it all? I feel so hurt. Regardless, I didn't mention finding the Millennium Spellbook in it, anyway. I recall it clearly. It was lying on a pedestal tucked in some hidden corner of the temple of the stone tablets. I almost didn't see it."

"And you didn't even ask the Tomb Keepers if you could 'borrow' this Spellbook?" Seto deadpanned.

"I don't think they even knew it was there. It was that well-hidden. Besides, it wasn't doing any good gathering dust in that place."

Seto stared at the Spellbook a moment more before switching his cool gaze to Pegasus. "Name your price."

"Pardon?"

"You must want _something_ from me, otherwise you wouldn't have come here."

"Oh, you're such a cynic, Kaiba-boy. But you're right. What I want is knowledge." Pegasus smiled at the look of utter disbelief on Seto's face. "I want to witness what you do with the Spellbook. The last time it was used was five thousand years ago, so whatever is in store next must be spectacular. Besides, I can't read it."

"What?"

"See for yourself."

Seto's mouth went dry as he laid his hand on the Spellbook, then he carefully, reverently opened it. On the pages were the same runes as those on the cover. Completely unreadable.

"I've analyzed every known alphabet and written language," Pegasus continued. "Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Sanskrit, Arabic, and of course the Egyptian hieroglyphs. But nothing even remotely matches."

"And what makes you think I'll solve it?"

"You're a clever boy, Kaiba, and I'm sure the prize, should you succeed, is motivation enough for you to at least try."

Seto carefully closed the Spellbook. "Of course I can solve it," he muttered. Just because Pegasus hadn't been able to translate it in all the years he'd had it didn't mean Seto couldn't.

"Ah-ah-ah, you have to promise first to let me be directly involved in the project."

The younger man clenched his jaw. "Whatever." But he ignored his irritation in favor of his growing excitement. Another door had opened for him. He was one step closer.

But magic wasn't his forte. He needed to call in the experts. Turning his back on Pegasus, Seto pulled out his phone and rapidly dialed a number.

"_Hello, Kame Game Shop_."

"Yugi, come over to KaibaCorp headquarters right away." Without waiting for a response, Seto hung up and headed back for the lab. To his annoyance, Pegasus joined him, matching him stride for stride. "What are you doing?"

"Since we're to be partners in this new endeavor, I think I ought to see for myself what we'll be working on, shouldn't I?" Pegasus replied cheerfully. Seto suppressed a groan as they got in the elevator and zoomed back down to the labs.

While Pegasus poked around, examining the tablet, Seto placed another phone call to Egypt. Within minutes, everything was settled. The Ishtars would be arriving the next day.

Seto slouched in his chair, scowling. A hunk of rock was making him act so out of character – asking for help from Yugi, asking for help _period_, and worst of all, willingly forming another "partnership" with Maximillion Pegasus. But if – no, when, when they succeeded, it would be worth it.

He hoped.

About ten minutes later, a buzz sounded. "Mr. Kaiba, Yugi Muto has arrived."

Seto pressed the speaker button. "Send him down to the lab."

Less than a minute later, Yugi exited the elevator. "Hey, Kaiba, what's – oh. Hi, Pegasus, you're here already."

"Ah, Yugi, my favorite little duelist. We're building up quite an impressive team, Kaiba-boy."

Yugi nodded, looking at Seto. "I was wondering when you would get around to us about Kisara! The others kind of gave up after the first month with no word from you."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "What made you think I was going to call you?"

"Well, we weren't sure how exactly you were going to do this thing with Kisara, but we were pretty certain you couldn't do it without these." Yugi placed a duffel bag on the table and unzipped it. Six golden objects, all bearing the eye of Horus, gleamed up at them. The seventh was around the neck of the King of Games.

A quiet gasp escaped from Pegasus as he started to take the Millennium Eye, but then he hesitated and withdrew his hand. "Magic and science work as one. Who would've thought this day would come, eh?"

Seto picked up the Millennium Rod, furrowing his brow. The past few years had given him a lot to think about. He had seen these seven objects do unexplainable things. At the time, he'd convinced himself they were tricks and illusions, perhaps holograms made by someone very skilled. But Seto didn't know how holograms could be created on that scale, and he had almost singlehandedly revolutionized the gaming industry. So if he couldn't do it, then who could? If it really was all because of magic, then the reason why he didn't know how it worked was because he hadn't learned it yet.

Kisara was real. His past life was real. A small part of him – a miniscule, microscopic part of him – wanted to say, then why couldn't this be real?

The Rod started to glow. Seto quickly set it back down to the table, and the Item returned to its normal, lifeless self. "Thanks for the jewelry, Yugi, but they're not going to be any use until we can translate Pegasus' Spellbook."

There was that crimson flash in Yugi's eyes, and Seto knew his alter ego was out now. "Let me see that, Kaiba." Other Yugi took the Spellbook, slowly flipping through its pages. But Seto was fluent in more languages than he could count on both hands. If he didn't know the language the Spellbook was in, then there was no way Yugi could know. Indeed, with every passing page, Other Yugi's frown grew deeper and deeper. "Strange," he muttered. "Very well, I will leave the decoding of this cipher to you, Kaiba. In the meantime –"

"The elevator doors slid open again and Mokuba bounded out. "I heard something was going on down here. You're not moving on without me, are you, Seto?" For the last two months, Mokuba had stood at his brother's side, bearing his frustrations and failures with him.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Seto took the Spellbook from Other Yugi and passed it to Mokuba. "Pegasus believes there is something in this Millennium Spellbook that can help – if we ever figure out how to read it."

"We could have those Ishtar friends of yours look for the spirit Shadi first before they come here," Pegasus suggested as Mokuba sat down and flipped through the Spellbook, studiously copying down the runes. "If anyone knows how to translate the Spellbook – or, better yet, tell us how to perform the spell or ritual itself – it's him."

Other Yugi turned to Seto. "Kaiba, have you ever considered that maybe it just might not be possible to… release Kisara?"

"If it's not possible, then why are you here?" Seto said flatly.

Other Yugi shrugged. "Because there _is_ still a chance." He gestured at the duffel bag. "Would you like to learn about the other Items?"

Seto gave a long-suffering sigh. "I might as well."

"Good. We can start with the Eye. Pegasus, would you like to do the honors?"

"Gladly." Pegasus happily took that as permission to pick up the Millennium Eye. "I'm sure you remember this little trinket, Kaiba-boy." Seto glared, recalling the duel he was sure he would've won if Pegasus hadn't been nosing around inside his head. "Unfortunately, it doesn't work too well unless I'm wearing it…" And since no one in the room had any desire to see Pegasus pop the Eye into his empty socket, he reluctantly set it back down and strolled back into the lab.

"You probably know that its past owner was Aknadin," Other Yugi continued. The sound of the name made Seto's heart wrench and twist for some reason and he glared at the Item. Aknadin. He'd killed Kisara. Her death scene flashed across Seto's mind, and he nearly missed Other Yugi's next words. "Now, the Necklace. As you know, it used to be worn by Ishizu. It gave her the ability to see any and all events in the past, present, and future."

Seto smirked. "Didn't work too well when I dueled her in Battle City."

Other Yugi shrugged. "Perhaps all your determination to shape your own destiny helped you that round. The Necklace's past owner was a priestess named Isis, Ishizu's own past life, and she was given the same clairvoyant powers." Next were the Key and Scale. "These were under Shadi's possession. Before, the Scale belonged to the priest Shada, and the Key to an advisor named Shimon, who was the past life of Yugi's own grandfather." Small world. Why was Seto not surprised? "The Key can see into your soul. The Scale weighs the hearts of men against the feather of Ma'at, goddess of truth, and judges what evil may be in you."

"And if there is evil?"

"The condemned is sent to the Shadow Realm," Other Yugi said coolly. "Each Item has that ability in addition to its own unique power."

Twice Seto had lost his soul, and twice he had gotten it back. The first time had been to Pegasus and the second to Dartz, but only Pegasus had sent him to the Realm. Just thinking about the endless, static abyss of nothingness made his skin prickle. The few hours he had spent in the Shadow Realm had felt like eternities. "In other words, the Scale sends only those who deserve it."

Other Yugi inclined his head. "I've never thought about it that way, but yes." He pointed at the next Item, reluctant to touch it. "The Ring was given to Ryou Bakura. Just as Yugi and I are two sides of the same coin, so is Bakura with the spirit in his Item, but I think it safe to say that Yami Bakura is more malevolent than I am. Yami Bakura was created from a fragment of the combined souls of Thief Bakura and Zorc the Dark One, and he used the Ring's ability to point to the other Items in an attempt to track them all down."

Right, Bakura, the bipolar kid. That explained a lot. "Is this Yami Bakura still in there?"

"No, he was destroyed. Still, the Ring holds bad memories." Other Yugi narrowed his eyes but moved onto the next Item. "Of course you've seen this around plenty of times, haven't you?"

"Yeah. Your little pyramid-shaped house."

Other Yugi scowled slightly, letting go of the Puzzle, and it fell back down on his chest. "I daresay you would find the inside interesting, but we can save that for another time."

Seto let the hidden threat pass. Yugi was too goody-two-shoes to let his alter ego do anything completely terrible. "So what awe-inspiring ability does your Puzzle have, besides letting you and Yugi switch back and forth?"

Other Yugi gazed down at the Puzzle, contemplative. "I'm not really sure," he confessed. "It's another secret we have yet to unlock." He picked up the Rod. "And last but most certainly not least, this Item is probably the most important one to you."

"Because it belonged to that guy who looks like me." Other Yugi glared, and Seto rolled his eyes. "My past life the Priest."

"I swear, every time I see you, you regress back to your old ways." Other Yugi shook his head. "You know of the Rod's mind-controlling abilities."

"And here I was thinking Wheeler had just gone nuts that day at the docks."

Other Yugi decided not to deign that comment with a response.

"Uh, Pegasus?" Mokuba suddenly called out, and the one-eyed man looked back into the observation room. "You've had the Spellbook for a while. How many total different runes does it have?"

"Twenty-six."

Seto switched his stare from Mokuba's notes to Pegasus. "Did you ever consider trying the Roman alphabet when you were translating it?" Seto snarled.

"Honestly, no. English is a relatively new language compared to, say, old Egyptian and ancient Greek. I never even considered it a possibility because the English language as we know it didn't even exist five thousand years ago!" Pegasus said defensively, though he looked chagrined.

The idiot, the answers had been under his nose the entire time! Mokuba had figured out within minutes what had taken Pegasus years!

"Maybe that Isis used the Necklace and saw people using English?" Mokuba suggested tentatively as Seto tried not to explode.

"The Spellbook was made long before her time. However, seeing as the Spellbook was created by a greater power, its creator probably had their own ability to see the future," Other Yugi muttered. "The Spellbook was intended to be nearly untranslatable, and it definitely would have been for the Egyptians, if the cipher really is based on English."

Mokuba nodded. "Its creator probably didn't expect us to still be trying to figure this out five thousand years from then, huh?"

"They were probably more concerned with keeping its secrets during a time when people were actively trying to find them out," Pegasus said, "not during a time when the Spellbook has been almost forgotten." He, Other Yugi, and Mokuba looked over at Seto and started when they saw he was already well into deciphering the runes, matching each symbol with its Roman counterpart.

"How are you doing that?" Mokuba asked, wide-eyed.

"E is the most common letter of the English alphabet. This rune is the most commonly used so far," Seto said, not looking up. "The two and three letter conjunctions are also easy to solve. After that it's simply a matter of logic and concentration." He scribbled down another letter.

The other three stood off to the side as Seto finished deciphering the alphabet of runes. All the while Pegasus looked like he was silently berating himself for not seeing the glaring answer, though he had admittedly been more interested in his Eye and in creating Duel Monsters when he'd first returned from Egypt, and then after several unsuccessful cracks at the code, the Spellbook simply got moved down his list of priorities. However, he still looked intrigued as Seto's writing started slowing. "Well, Kaiba-boy, let's see what you have," Pegasus said after Seto finally set down his pen, staring at his notes.

Other Yugi looked over Seto's shoulder, eyebrows raised. "I think you have it, Kaiba."

"Of course I have it," Seto muttered, though his heart was racing despite his arrogant choice of words. He could finally begin the real project. He could finally meet Kisara – not the vision Kisara, but the real Kisara.

He was so close that it hurt. So close, he could almost feel her beside him, urging him on.

* * *

><p><strong>So, the Millennium Spellbook, how about that? (In case you didn't know, it's actually from the show, not something I made up.) The Yu-Gi-Oh wikia doesn't have much info on it so I took some liberties, including with the code, which was inspired by a real code that I made up a few years ago. Forgive me if the Kaiba brothers seemed a bit too fast solving it - then again, they're two little geniuses, aren't they? ^^ And it was either I exploit their brains or I drag the plot out another chapter... Speaking of plot, here's a teaser: Kisara makes her live debut in Chapter Seven. :)<strong>

**To miaou5: Your review reply feature wasn't working, but thank you! Your review made me smile and I really appreciate you taking the time to write something so nice down. (Same goes to everyone else, too!)**

**Upcoming: Seto tastes insanity, Marik spazzes out, and a spell is located.**

**Review please!**


	6. Going Mad

**Many thanks to The Duelist's Heiress, Meowth That's Write, miaou5, lux, biskittins, lesjoursdete, HopelessMine, and TeresaShiho for reviewing!**

* * *

><p><em>Where focus flows, energy goes.<em>

* * *

><p>Six: Going Mad<p>

Ishizu Ishtar's glare, Seto decided, was a very scary thing – for lesser men than he. Not nearly as scary as his own, of course, but still scary. But the reason for the smirk currently on his face was the fact that the recipient of the aforementioned glare was Maximillion Pegasus. The creator of Duel Monsters slowly backed up as the Egyptian woman stalked forward. "The Millennium Spellbook is a sacred and ancient artifact! You had no right taking it!"

"Finders-keepers, no one else knew it was there," Pegasus complained. Ishizu narrowed her eyes and would've lunged at him had Marik and Odion not held her back. It was the closest anyone had ever seen the prim lady to snapping.

"Calm down, Ishizu! As soon as Kaiba's project is over, Pegasus will hand back the Spellbook." Marik narrowed his eyes at the man. "Right?"

Pegasus sighed in exasperation but muttered a barely intelligible "Fine." Real Yugi was trying to conceal his amusement as he watched the altercation. Now that the fun was over, though, Seto turned his attention back to translating the pages. A lot of it was gibberish so far. He, Mokuba, Yugi, and Pegasus had split up the work the day before, and the Ishtars' arrival meant three new pairs of eyes. Yugi had also offered his friends as further help, but Seto would sooner watch Saturday morning cartoons with Pegasus than let Wheeler anywhere near the invaluable Spellbook.

"Seto, you never did tell me why you want to bring Kisara back." Seto looked up at his brother, who was watching him with mild concern. Mokuba had been very cooperative the past few months, offering help before Seto asked for it and keeping quiet when Seto didn't want to talk, despite all the questions Seto knew had been brimming behind Mokuba's eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?" Pegasus butted into the brothers' conversation. "It's _love_."

Seto would've smashed in Pegasus' nose had the nearest heavy object not been the Spellbook. He settled for saying, "Shut up, Cyclops."

"Oh, that was low, Kaiba-boy."

Seto sneered and turned back to his translations. "You're mistaking me for the Priest."

"Some things, if they're strong enough, can last lifetimes," Yugi quietly suggested.

The CEO suppressed his natural urge to deny any and all claims of the reality of magic, which still frequently resurfaced despite his almost completely reversed opinion on the topic. "Perhaps," was all he said in reply.

Everyone else settled down and got to work, the only sounds being the shuffling of papers and the scratching of pens. There was the occasional inquisitive whisper or murmur of confusion, but for the most part the room was quiet. Everyone had a reason for wanting the project to be a success. There was curiosity from all of them, definitely, to see how it worked out. For Ishizu, Marik, and Odion, success would mean a piece of their heritage coming to life – literally. For Pegasus, success meant more fodder for his mind that was ever craving novelty and things out of the norm. For Yugi, success was only a bonus; as long as he did his best to help Seto, whom he considered a friend, then his job was done. For Mokuba, success would finally bring his big brother peace and happiness, which was all he had ever wanted for Seto.

And for Seto himself… well, he wasn't quite sure what success would bring. It could be his own panacea or it could make his entire life even more convoluted than it already was. As he stared at the endless lines and columns of forgotten runes, he could feel his sanity slowly cracking. Whether success would heal those fissures or break him completely, he didn't know. Whether history would remember Seto Kaiba, the man who made magic a reality, or Seto Kaiba, the man who went insane chasing after a dream, was an uncertainty.

Even long after his coworkers called it a day, he still slaved over the ancient pages, desperate to find something, anything. He couldn't tell whether it was magic or his exhaustion, but the words seemed to rearrange themselves even as he was reading them. Like the Spellbook didn't want him reading the spells, didn't want him wasting time on those pages. Perhaps that explained why most of what they had jotted down so far was nonsense. Maybe he'd copied the alphabet down incorrectly.

One last page, he thought blearily. Then he would get some much needed sleep. And that was when Fate started turning in his favor.

"Stone spirit trapped" was the first line. He immediately snapped to attention and moved to the next. "Seven golden Items." "Seven chosen wielders." "Inhuman power." He hardly dared to breathe as he translated the last section. The spell was very short and vague – it was possible it was not even intended to free _ka_ from the tablet but for something else entirely – but there _must_ be a reason why the Spellbook allowed him to be able to read this spell and only this spell.

_Stone spirit trapped_

_Seven golden Items_

_Seven chosen wielders_

_Inhuman power_

_Items in hands of wielders,_

_Power linked to they and spirit._

_Where focus flows, energy goes,_

_If name of spirit called._

Not very poetic, but Seto wasn't a poet. If he was going to make a spell, he wouldn't waste time with rhyming and rhythm. He put the Spellbook in its locked display case and placed the translated spell in his briefcase. Perhaps in the morning, realization he'd found the spell would hit him.

Seto left the building. His limo was waiting, and he was so exhausted that he drifted off five minutes into the ride. It felt like he'd closed his eyes for only a few seconds when the driver was already gently shaking him awake. "Mr. Kaiba, we've arrived at your home."

The young man ran his fingers through his hair, trying not to yawn. "Thank you," he said, stepping out. The driver bowed his head and got back in his seat, driving off. With herculean effort, Seto managed to lift his heavy arm and push the front door open. He trudged up the stairs, his impeccable hearing immediately picking up on Mokuba's soft snores.

But instead of going to his own room right away, Seto stopped at the one next to it, hesitating before entering. It was one of the largest rooms in the entire mansion and with the best view. Vast four-poster bed, nightstand, closet, dresser, desk, bookshelves. It was never used on the rare occasions that he had guests, despite its immense comfort and aesthetic appeals. The décor was neutral and impersonal, though that could easily be rectified.

…And just why was he assessing the livability of the room? "Therapist. Need to call a therapist." But he knew, like always, he wouldn't be making an appointment. If he was going mad, then at least he was fantasizing about something pleasant.

With that last thought, he stumbled into his own room next door and collapsed onto the bed, not even bothering to kick off his shoes as he fell asleep.

As soon as his dream began, Seto knew it was going to be different than from the past two months. Since his return from Egypt, instead of Kisara's death, he had dreamed of running down a shadowy tunnel, chasing after a distant blue light that drifted farther and farther away until he was left alone in the darkness. Tonight, as he ran, the light didn't flee. It was getting closer, and he could almost touch it when suddenly the ground beneath his feet opened up, and he fell.

As he plummeted into the void, a suffocating presence surrounded him, voices echoing all around him.

_There is always a price._

Gasping, Seto woke, wincing as the early morning sunlight temporarily blinded him. As his heart slowed back down to a normal rate, he could hear Mokuba moving around in his room, getting ready for school. With a grimace, Seto realized he was still wearing his clothes from yesterday, and he got up to shower and change.

After his mind cleared up, Seto remembered his discovery the night before and threw his briefcase open, snatching the piece of paper. His no longer sleep-deprived brain analyzed the words, judging whether or not this spell really was the one. So vague was it that the only indication that it could work was the very first line. _Stone spirit trapped_. Why did the ancient people have to be so cryptic? Why couldn't they just say, _Here's what you need if you want to free the _ka_ from the stone tablet of the Blue Eyes_?

Still, it was the best he had. And later, excepting Mokuba, once everyone else who was in on "The Kisara Project," as Pegasus had so creatively named it, was gathered, they all agreed with Seto. "We could spend years looking through the rest of the Spellbook and not find anything else," Yugi said. "We should just try this one now."

However, Pegasus had a slight concern. "What if this spell actually does something completely different – say, take one of our souls and put it into stone instead of taking it out?"

"Then we take the risk," Seto said lowly. "If you're too afraid, go home." No one moved.

So Ishizu began dissecting the spell. "Stone spirit trapped – Kisara, the Blue Eyes. Seven golden Items, the Millennium Items. Seven chosen wielders… Seven people will have to hold the Items, though 'chosen' indicates that they must have some sort of special relationship to the Items."

"Like me and my Puzzle," Yugi offered. "And you and the Necklace."

"And I used to possess the Eye," Pegasus added.

Yugi looked at Marik. "And you and the Rod, right?"

To everyone's surprise, Marik vehemently shook his head. "The Rod… holds no good memories for me. I don't… I don't want to risk becoming _that_ again."

"Yami banished the darkness from you," Yugi tried to reassure him. "You'll be fine. And your darkness didn't come from the Rod, it –"

Marik shot up and slammed his hands on the table. "I CAN'T DO IT, I'M NOT RISKING IT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT _HE_ DID! WHAT _I _DID! WHAT YOU ACTUALLY WITNESSED US DOING WAS **NOTHING**!" He shuddered, pupils dilated as he stared down at the carpet. "When I gave the Rod to the Pharaoh, it was the best decision I ever made. I can't, I _won't_, become that ever again." His arm trembled as he shakily lifted it and pointed at Seto. "He has more of a right to the Rod than I do. He can take it. He _should_ take it." Marik slumped back down in his seat, where his brother and sister attempted to comfort him before he wordlessly pushed them away.

Seto stared at the shaken young Tomb Keeper as memories of Battle City came rushing back to him. Then, he'd thought Marik Ishtar had just gone off the deep end. Now he knew better. The specifics were still lost to him, but some sort of evil presence had spawned when Marik had been a boy, and it had finally engulfed him during Battle City. The darkness had left around the same time Marik had given the Millennium Rod to Yugi… and now they wanted Seto to take it.

"Kaiba, it's not what you think." Other Yugi, Yami, Pharaoh, whoever it was, had taken over. "The darkness was not the fault of the Rod. It was begotten when Marik took the Tomb Keeper initiation rites and was exacerbated by events out of the Items' control. Only the Puzzle and the Ring ever contained souls, and now only the Puzzle." When Seto remained silent, Yami persisted. "You're the only other one who can handle the Rod. If you don't take it, then we will never free Kisara."

This was why Seto didn't let other people get close. Then they knew where the chinks in his armor were. "If I get possessed by some evil spirit, I'm blaming you, Yugi."

Yami smiled and looked to the next Item. "The last owner of the Ring was Bakura. I believe there to be no risk now for him to use it. Like the Rod, the Ring is just as safe as any other Item."

"You'll probably have to convince Bakura to take it back," Marik said hollowly. "He seemed relieved not to have it anymore, either."

"Leave that to me," Yami said. "And the Ring is actually the not greatest of our problems. Shadi was the last owner of both the Key and Scale. In theory, Yugi's grandfather should be able to wield the Key, since his past life Shimon also held it once. However, the previous wielder of the Scale was a priest named Karim, who as far as I know has not reincarnated. Therein lies the issue."

Ishizu inclined her head. "The Items always show themselves to their rightful owners. When the Scale senses its true wielder nearby, we will know."

"So you're suggesting we go around Domino – the whole world – until the Scale starts glowing?" Pegasus asked dubiously.

Ishizu's fingers traced the Necklace, lying on the table. "I have a feeling they are closer than we think." Abruptly, she picked up the spell again. "Let us continue. 'Inhuman power.'"

"That could mean anything," Pegasus said flatly, apparently deciding today was Pessimists' Day. "'Inhuman' could mean 'out of the ordinary,' and goodness knows there are plenty of unordinary things out there."

"Perhaps if we read the rest of the spell first, its meaning will become clear," Odion suggested.

"A good idea," Ishizu agreed. "Now it looks to me the rest of the spell is very clear directions. 'Items in hands of wielders, Power linked to they and spirit. Where focus flows, energy goes, If name of spirit called.' We seven hold the Items, and the source of inhuman power is connected to us and the stone tablet. Then we must concentrate on what we desire to accomplish and call out Kisara's name."

Source. The source of power. Seto's eyes landed on the paper taped on the observation window. His two worlds, magic and science. The whole project had been magic so far. It was time for the science to come in. "A generator."

Yami raised his eyebrows. "Say that again?"

"A generator. That's the inhuman power. Machines are not human, and a generator is a machine that creates power."

"Oh, so now besides the possibility of losing our souls, we're also at risk of being electrocuted. Brilliant, just brilliant." Pegasus dramatically pressed his hand against his forehead. "Why don't you just strap me to the electric chair now?"

Seto narrowed his eyes. "Don't tempt me. And I _know_ I'm right. Technology plays a key role in this spell. If you're too afraid, there's the door."

Yami broke in before the bickering could escalate. "As bizarre as it seems for magic and science to work together, it… kind of makes sense. Besides what Kisara said to Kaiba, this spell appears to require more power than any human could give. Think about it, we're trying to make something intangible, a soul, into something corporeal, an actual human being. If we attempted it without an artificial source, we would probably all die from the sheer amount of energy that would be drained from us."

"That's settled, then." Ishizu put the spell down. "Now all we need is the seventh wielder."

"We can start looking – after lunch." Pegasus stood, stretched, and headed for the elevator. Yami – no, it was Yugi now, followed him, as did a still subdued Marik and Odion.

Once everyone was gone, Seto looked up at the last Ishtar, emotionless. "What is it, Ishizu?"

There was a small screeching sound as she nudged the Millennium Scale closer to him. "Take this with you when you go out to eat. I have a feeling you would have better luck than any of us in finding the seventh."

"Why don't you just use that Necklace of yours and find out who's supposed to have it?"

"Ever since I gave it to the Pharaoh, it has stopped working for me. Instead of visions, I now receive only feelings and hunches. This is all I can offer you, Kaiba, a suggestion." Ishizu rose. "If you'll excuse me, I need to see to my brother."

Seto glared as the elevator doors closed behind Ishizu. Now he was responsible for finding one person out of six billion, just because Ishizu "had a feeling"? He scoffed and scowled at the Scale, gleaming innocently at him. Cursing himself, he grabbed it, shoved it into his briefcase, and followed the others out of the lab.

He swept through the bustling lobby, glancing at everyone he passed. How was he supposed to know when he met "the chosen seventh"? What if he missed them completely? He was not going to hold the Scale out in front of him and wave it under everyone's nose until someone decided to put him in a straitjacket.

Seto got in the limo. He doubted the seventh was his driver. They stopped at a red light. He doubted the seventh was the passing biker. They reached the Japanese takeout place. He doubted the seventh was the chef, or the cashier, or any of the other dozen people lined up in the place. He'd have better luck holding some kind of sword-in-the-stone contest. After all, it would only take a couple years… decades…

"Seto!" The sound of Mokuba's voice made Seto realize they had arrived at Domino High. "Hey, big bro." Mokuba slid into the limo. "I'm starving!" He grabbed one of the takeout containers and started shoveling its contents down his throat. Seto stared in disbelief as half of Mokuba's lunch disappeared before he could even open his own. Mokuba burped, muttered an "Excuse me," and wiped his mouth. "Seto, can I borrow some scrap paper? I ran out." At his brother's nod, Mokuba picked up Seto's briefcase and started rummaging through it.

Seto silently picked at his own food, too preoccupied to concentrate on eating. Earlier that morning, Mokuba had demanded Seto meet him for lunch so that Seto could update him on what happened on The Kisara Project while he was at school, and Seto had good and bad news for him. Good because they were so close to completion, bad because the only missing factor might never be found. Less than one in a billion chance.

"Uh, Seto, why is this thing glowing?" Mokuba was almost fearfully holding the Millennium Scale out in front of him. Seto's disposable chopsticks clattered on the floor of the limo.

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><p><strong>Because Mokuba should have a more important role than hostage. ^.^ I was originally going to make Marik the seventh wielder, but Mokuba somehow wrote his way in instead.<strong>

**Also, sorry the spell isn't the most poetic. -_- I wrote it more in recipe format. "You will need blah-blah, stir until even, etc."**

**Upcoming: When Seto Met Kisara. :D**

**Review please!**


	7. Chosen

**So much feedback! You all really know how to make a girl happy. ^^ Thanks to Ricebovino, The Duelist's Heiress, QueenofR, biskittins, hopelessmine, Meowth That's Write, miaou5, TeresaShiho, Waifine, and Quotta for reviewing, to The Three Kings for faving, and to MalikOfDarkness for alerting!**

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><p><em>You can do anything if you set your mind to it.<em>

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><p>Seven: Chosen<p>

Shock. That was the first thing Seto felt when he saw the Millennium Scale glowing in his brother's hands. One in six billion. Mokuba defied all the odds.

Excitement. The final piece in the puzzle was found, and Kisara could be freed any day now. Possibly even by tonight if Yugi could convince his grandfather and Bakura to show up.

Hesitancy. Did he really want Mokuba directly involved in the ritual? What if it was dangerous?

Reassurance. Yami said that the artificial source of power was included in the spell so that the wielders wouldn't be killed. And Seto was providing the best of KaibaCorp's generators. He trusted his technology. His world had already been flipped over countless times because of magic, Yugi, and the Millennium Items. If he couldn't rely on science, then he couldn't rely on anything.

"Looks like you get a direct role in the spell, Mokuba."

Mokuba's eyes widened as his hands clenched around the Scale. "What am I doing?"

"The spell says we need seven chosen wielders for the seven Items. Seems to me the Scale chose you to be the seventh."

The younger brother's jaw dropped slightly in disbelief. "But I thought all the magic stuff had to do with you and Yugi…" He stared at the Item, and then he beamed. "This is so cool!" Mokuba brandished the Scale before him, grinning wickedly. "Fear me, for I am High Priest Mokuba! Bow before my –" He paused in thought. "Does this mean I get to skip the rest of school today?" Seto rolled his eyes but smiled and nodded. "Hey, Seto?"

"Hm?"

"Isn't it a lot more convenient when you just accept magic? I mean, come on, even I believed in that stuff way before –" Mokuba yelped but then laughed and squirmed as Seto placed him in a headlock. "Does this mean I'm getting a new sister-in-law soon?" Mokuba bellowed.

The rest of the return to KaibaCorp was spent with Mokuba trying to escape Seto's death hold, their lunches forgotten. Seto hadn't been this happy in a long time. For once, no one was trying to kill or kidnap him or Mokuba or take over the company, the project was almost there, he'd found time to be with his brother, and he… felt at peace with himself.

When they arrived at KaibaCorp, the two brothers shuffled inside, Mokuba still trapped in a headlock. Seto ignored the bewildered stares of the people in the lobby. The cold, stoic president of KaibaCorp acting like a normal, carefree young man? Impossible!

Only after they reached the labs and saw who was waiting for them did Seto release Mokuba, unpleasantly surprised. "Yugi, explain to me why the Geek Squad is here." At least Yugi had seen fit to bring his grandfather and Bakura, too, otherwise the entire gang would be kicked out of the building.

"They helped me find Bakura. I had to tell them why I was looking for him." At Seto's darkening face, Yugi added, "If you want my help, they're included in the package."

Oh, how he hated those Friendship Fairies.

"Friendship Fairies, that's a good one, Kaiba-boy." Seto spun around, staring at the golden light emanating from what should've been Pegasus' empty eye socket. "Ah, how delightful! Mokuba is the seventh wielder! Now we can get this party started." Pegasus clapped his hands. "Chop-chop, everyone! I want to get this done in time to catch my evening showing of _Hamlet_."

"Here's an idea, why don't you just take over Hamlet's role? You're definitely insane enough to qualify," Seto muttered under his breath so only his brother could hear. Mokuba snickered, which drew funny looks from everyone but Pegasus, who blissfully pretended not to have heard. Smirking, Seto raised his voice. "I need to move the tablet to another lab, where the generator is located." He strode past everyone into the laboratory. The stone tablet lay on a rolling cart, and Seto pressed a button to secure the tablet to the surface before grasping the cart's handle, grunting as he pushed.

"Need some help, Kaiba?"

"Go away, Wheeler. And you, Taylor." To his chagrin, the two ignored him and also gripped the cart, helping him wheel it into the hall. "Fine, I give. Why are you being so uncharacteristically helpful?"

"We are helpful," Taylor said defensively. "Just… not to you…"

"We don't see ya much, Kaiba, but dis Kisara girl's changed ya, and she's not even alive," Wheeler added. "If she does come to life or somethin', I think it's safe to say dat you're gonna be a much better person. And da truth is we'd rather have Decent Kaiba over Jerk Kaiba."

Seto was silent as they reached the other lab. Joey and Tristan stepped back with the others, who'd just arrived, as Seto rotated the cart's top so that the tablet was standing upright. Near the tablet was a sleek, steel generator the size of a minivan, capable of powering all of Domino City for a month.

"I think it's time for anyone not directly involved in the spell to step into the observation room." Yami had emerged and was distributing the Millennium Items to the wielders. Marik, Odion, and Yugi's friends nodded and exited the lab. Also in the observation room was Roland, whom Seto had confided certain details of the project to and who, at Seto's request a few minutes ago, was responsible for monitoring the seven's vital levels and the generator's power flow.

Just in case.

Solomon Muto hesitated as he took the Key. "Yugi – I mean, Yami, are you sure I should be here?"

Yami smiled and nodded. "You are meant to be a part of this. I know it."

Bakura was staring at the Ring with a slight expression of horror and plenty of trepidation. Everyone unconsciously held their breaths as he slowly extended his arm and tentatively touched a single finger to the Item. Still the golden Ring was unchanged – as was Bakura. He sighed in relief and took the Ring into his hands.

Pegasus and Ishizu already had their Items, and Mokuba was still clutching the Scale. The Rod lay on Yami's palm, awaiting its wielder. It was Seto's last chance to deny his destiny and magic. His last chance to make a clean break from the Geek Squad. His last chance for normalcy.

The Blue Eyes tablet was still visible in his periphery, and Seto finally took the jump. Normal, he decided, was boring, anyway. And now the Rod rested in Seto's hands.

"Will you be the one calling Kisara's name, Kaiba?" Yami asked pleasantly as they all arranged themselves in a semicircle in front of the tablet. Seto nodded, attaching cables from the generator onto the Items.

"Not the Eye, not the Eye, not the – meh." Pegasus tried to glare at the metal clip dangling from his socket.

Finally, after everyone had wrapped the electronic bracelets around their wrists so Roland could keep an eye on their vitals, Seto strapped a cable to the stone tablet and looked at Yami. "Ready." At Seto's signal, Roland started up the generator.

Yami gazed around the semicircle. "This applies to everyone, but I speak especially to Kaiba, Mokuba, and Solomon, since you've never used an Item before. It's quite simple. _Focus_. Focus is vital. Keep what you want in your mind's eye. The Items have chosen you, so it should come to you naturally. And I urge everyone to not lose concentration, even for a second. The consequences could be disastrous." He closed his eyes as the generator's humming filled their ears. "Now. Focus."

The instant Seto closed his eyes, images began flashing before him. Kisara lying unconscious on the ground, Kisara running across the desert, Kisara summoning the Blue Eyes, throwing herself in front of him, saving him, covered in cloth, rising from the ashes, carried by the wind, racing through a forest, soaring through the heavens…

Unbeknownst to Seto, the Items were all glowing, and the orbs of golden light converged to surround the tablet. The generator began shrieking as it was forced to run faster and faster and Roland shouted in alarm as the seven's vitals flashed red and Seto's heart pounded erratically and the Rod started burning his palms and sweat drenched his clothes and he couldn't breathe and Mokuba cried out in pain and a scream threatened to erupt from Seto's throat and then it finally did –

"_**KISARA**_!"

Seto and the others slammed against the walls in an explosion of blue. Someone had set his insides on fire and it was slowly eating away at him. The Rod was all but welded to his hands and even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to let it go. Something was draining the life out of him and his limbs grew slack, his eyes too heavy to open…

Clatters echoed in the room as all seven Items fell to the floor. They were all on their knees, panting heavily and shaking with effort not to completely collapse. Everyone was exhausted, and Solomon Muto looked like he had aged ten years.

Seto lifted his head to see if anyone was injured, coughing from the smoke billowing from the generator that now looked like it had been tossed down a mountain and sat on by an elephant. Eight of them were accounted for – wait. There were only seven of them. His eyes widened and he gaped at the white-haired girl lying in a crumpled heap at the foot of the stone tablet.

_Holy shit. It actually worked. Never doubting Yugi again._

Then the shock wore off and he leapt up to his feet, so fast that his head started spinning, but he ignored his vertigo as he painfully made his way toward the girl. He dropped onto the floor beside her, trembling as he reached out and shakily brushed a lock of hair away from her face. Her pale face, her fragile features, her eyes that were sure to be brilliant blue when they opened. It was her.

Kisara.

A sigh escaped her lips and she unconsciously moved, but she didn't wake. Still unbelieving of what he was seeing, Seto gently traced the curve of her delicate jaw, marveling at how soft and warm her skin was. Ashy residue smeared her pale skin, whether from her release from the tablet or from before her imprisonment, he didn't know. She looked the exact same as his vision of her five thousand years ago. Still barefoot, still wearing the ragged, rough-spun dress.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir! Is everything all right?"

While Seto had been staring at Kisara, those in the observation room had charged into the lab, anxious to see that the seven were okay. Which they were, for the most part. Mokuba, to Seto's relief, looked stunned and a little shaken, but unhurt. However, most of the others were crowded around Solomon Muto, whom Yugi and Joey were helping to stand.

"Call a doctor for Mr. Muto," Seto told Roland. "Then have the doctor check up on everyone else, too. And someone needs to secure the tablet in the vault."

Roland, the model employee that he was, didn't even question Kisara's supernatural appearance in the room, simply accepted the fact that there were orders to obey and some things should better be left unasked. "Does the girl need medical attention?"

Seto instinctively gripped Kisara tighter in his arms. "I'll have someone take a look at her later at the mansion." Resentful green flames licked his mind, trying to nudge him out the exit before anyone else asked him to let her go. He scooped the unconscious girl up and tried to make a swift escape out the door, but someone stood in his way.

Tea placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes up at him. "So you're just going to spirit her home and then what? Stare at her until she wakes up – if she ever will? The one time you forgo planning your actions –"

"What do you suggest, Gardner?" Seto snarled. "Race her to the hospital where they'll prod and poke her like an alien specimen? I will call a doctor – whom I trust – to look at her. Don't tell me that I need to plan ahead."

Tea raised an eyebrow. "So in the meantime, assuming she doesn't wake, you'll be the one bathing and changing her?" At that, Seto fell silent. Tea took a deep breath and managed to smile kindly. "This is girl's work, Kaiba. Consider this as a favor for _her_." It looked like Tea had already discussed this matter with herself and had won the debate. Indeed, Seto hadn't truly considered what he would be doing with Kisara, not even in the direct aftermath of her release. He'd obviously been more concerned with how to release her in the first place.

He sighed and glanced back at the others, who were still preoccupied over Solomon Muto's condition. He unwillingly felt a slight pang of guilt for having blocked all thoughts from his mind except for Kisara. Even about his little brother. "Roland, Yugi, can you take over here? Mokuba, you okay?" Only after they nodded did Seto exit the lab that was in shambles. "Come on, Gardner, if you're that eager to play nursemaid." He ordered the limo to come around back so that he wouldn't have to limp through the crowded lobby while carrying Kisara, both looking worse for wear. Tabloids would swarm him like vultures.

He and Tea sat in awkward silence on the ride to his mansion, with only a white-haired girl as a buffer, whom he never let go the entire trip. As soon as they stepped foot in Kaiba Mansion, his trusted physician, Dr. Pius, literally got in his face. Taken unawares by the old man's urgent gestures and rapid, near-incoherent orders – at least to his exhausted brain – Seto just sat down on the couch with Kisara lying on his lap, which seemed to satisfy Dr. Pius, seeing as he immediately calmed down and began examining her.

"Well, the little miss seems perfectly healthy, though I must admit I'm not sure why she's not conscious," Dr. Pius admitted, putting his medical equipment away. "There's no damage to her head, so judging by how thin she is, my best guess is malnourishment. She will need someone to give her food and water until she wakes, which should be within the next day or two, and when she does, start with small meals that gradually increase in size. Nothing too extravagant, either. If you don't mind my asking, Mr. Kaiba, who is she?"

Seto gazed down at Kisara, whose face looked serene and unworried as she dreamt. "She's… very important to me."

Dr. Pius asked no more and departed. Adjusting his arms, Seto picked Kisara up again and headed upstairs, Tea lagging behind a few feet as she stared in awe around the massive, opulent home. He turned to the room that he had entered the night before, right next to his own.

Tea hesitated. "Um, if you could put her in the bathtub, I'd really appreciate it. I'll take care of the rest…"

The pink blush was barely visible as Seto laid Kisara in the tub. "I don't think we have any clothes for her." That potato sack was going in the incinerator.

Tea paused in the midst of shutting the bathroom door. "Oh, that's okay. I can call Mai or Serenity and ask them to bring some… that is, if you don't mind…" The Kisara Project was technically complete, but it was still unofficially Seto's project. It was up to him to decide who knew about it and who didn't. Mai Valentine and Serenity Wheeler weren't in the need-to-know, but judging by how often they hung out with the Geek Squad and the fact that three were better than one in this case, especially after Kisara woke up and then Seto really would have no idea what to do, maybe it was better if they were informed.

"Wheeler's going to tell them eventually. I'd rather you do it than him. You're less likely to exaggerate." Seto exited the room, trying to ignore the sound of water rushing from the faucet, and purposefully headed for his study – and his liquor cabinet. He was in dire need of a drink.

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><p><strong>Yay, Kisara finally has a physical presence in the story. XD This chapter really beat me up. It just didn't want to get written. (Phew!)<strong>

**Alright, now some not-so-yay news. I'm going to a three-day anime/manga convention soon (Yu-Gi-Oh splurge!) and I doubt I'll be able to update then. T~T I'll update as soon as I get back, which means Monday, _maybe _Sunday. And then after that I have even more travelling to do, so my updating schedule is going to be out of it for the next few weeks.**

**But don't worry, I'll be writing even though I'll be internet-less. And I'll be fleshing out the plots for some other Yu-Gi-Oh stories I have bouncing around in my head (won't be really writing them until this story is done, though, I don't think I can handle multiple In Progress fics), one of which centers around the Kaiba family and the other another SetoxKisara but with the mafia tossed in. **

**Upcoming: Kisara wakes (and her POV), an unforeseen problem comes to light, and Seto may or may not develop a slight drinking problem.**

**Review please!**


	8. Paradise

**Thanks to The Duelist's Heiress, miaou5, biskittins, Twili Wolf, Souseino, Gracey, Meowth That's Write, Katie, FutureMrsKatiePattinson, and QueenofR for reviewing, and to Fallenstarnight, The Lady Clearwater, Maridel, and TheAuthorofTime for faving/alerting!**

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><p><em>Whenever we change our perspective, our whole life changes.<em>

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><p>Eight: Paradise<p>

Fluffy. It was fluffy. The piece of heaven that she was lying on was _fluffy_. Fluffy, what a lovely word. She'd spent so long wandering in the darkness. What had made the gods suddenly decide to allow her into paradise?

She snuggled beneath the heavy, warm covers, eyes still closed, wanting this illusion of bliss to last as long as possible. Rubbing her hands on the sheets, she tried to discern what the impossibly comfortable fabric was made of. Cotton? The only time she'd ever slept in cotton was when Priest Seto had rescued her and –

Seto! Kisara's eyes flew open, scanning her surroundings. How odd. These styles of architecture and décor were definitely not Egyptian. Perhaps from the lands across the Sea? No, their styles were different, too. And that unusual glass bowl on the ceiling, what use was it up there?

She sat up in the bed and realized what she was wearing. Yet another unfamiliar fabric, even more stunning than cotton. What was it called… silk? From the East. It was like wearing a waterfall. She'd thought only the Pharaoh possessed such wonders…

Kisara stood and was about to investigate the rest of the room when she got distracted by the movement of lacey curtains fluttering in the breeze. Tentatively, she approached the open glass doors, peered outside, and gasped in astonishment. All this green! Not even the land by the banks of the Nile had so much green. Grass and trees, so many trees. Gardens and flowers that were myriads of colors, red and white and pink and blue and yellow and purple. And a lake, crystalline and dazzling in the sunlight. The wind made her nightdress billow as she stepped onto the balcony, convinced now that she really was in paradise.

The sound of the door opening made Kisara spin around, and a pretty girl with short brown hair came in. The girl's large blue eyes widened in delight as she set down a tray laden with food. Speech emerged from her moving lips, but Kisara couldn't understand a single word of it. The girl seemed to realize the same thing, just as excited exclamations sounded from outside the room and two more girls joined the one already at the door. One had hair that shone gold like the sun and the other with hair like dark amber. Their words were just as unintelligible to Kisara as the first girl's and Kisara backed away, pressing against the balcony railing.

It was too high up to jump and make her escape. Unless she summoned her dragon to fly her away? Kisara searched inside her heart for the comforting, familiar presence, but it was gone. Her heart pounded as she stared fearfully at the three girls. Where was she? What happened? Why was she here? Where was Seto?

Kisara frantically searched for a weapon and lunged forward, grabbing some kind of oil-less lamp from a small table in the room. "Who are you? What is this place?" Her voice grew shriller with every word. "Where is Seto?"

The brunette turned to the other two and said something in that strange language. All Kisara could pick up was something about a "Kaiba." The redheaded girl ran off, and the brunette and blonde cast one last look at Kisara before quietly shutting the door.

She had to get away from here, before they came back. Did they want her _ka_, too, like that Aknadin? Kisara shivered as she remembered a dark blast of energy. How had she survived that? Was Seto all right? She leaned over the balcony railing, wondering if she could possibly climb down to safety.

All too soon the door burst open again, and Kisara jumped in fright. But her fear was washed away by relief when she saw that it was Seto who stood there. She started to run towards him before hesitating. Something was different about him. He wasn't as tan, his outfit was bizarre – as were those of the three girls. His eyes were the same, but still somehow… off.

"Kisara."

Her breath hitched as he spoke her name. This Seto said it the same way as her Seto. Her trembling lessened as she held his gaze. "Are you Seto?"

To her surprise – and his, apparently – he understood her. "I am… a different Seto," he said slowly, looking stunned at the words flowing from his lips.

"Can I trust you?"

His deep blue eyes, so like her priest's, widened slightly at her question. But his response was firm. "Yes."

For some reason, she believed him. Her shoulders relaxed and she slowly set the lamp back on the table. "Where am I? What is going on?"

This Seto sat down in a carved chair by the wooden desk and motioned for her to be seated. Kisara settled herself back down on the bed, which she now saw was bigger than any she had ever seen. Ten people could sleep on it and still have room to spare. She looked up at Seto as he began speaking. "How do you feel? Are you hurt, in pain?"

Kisara shook her head. "I feel fine. Better than I've ever felt before in my life."

"And what is the last thing you remember before waking up?"

The last thing…

She felt like someone had ruthlessly shoved ice into her chest and she clutched it, trying not to cry out. A larger hand gently wrapped around her wrist, and she met concerned eyes that were a darker blue than hers. Her breath shuddered as she came to a sudden realization. "I died." Now she wished more than ever that her dragon was still with her. To fly her away…

"Your _ka_ was preserved in the tablet of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. We released you from it yesterday." His thumb made comforting strokes on the back of her hand. "You were in the tablet for five thousand years."

Kisara's jaw dropped slightly and she desperately searched his eyes for a sign that he was lying. He held her stare evenly, and all she found was the truth. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping maybe when she opened them again, everything would just be a dream. But deep inside, she knew that it was real. _I've woken up five thousand years later. Seto is here but he's not really Seto. He seems to be the only one who can understand what I am saying. I am in an entirely different world._

_ What do I do?_

Ever since she could remember, Kisara had been a lonely, wandering outcast. When she was younger, she had constantly fought and lashed out – against herself, against her tormentors, against everybody, against nobody – wanting the normal life that she could never have. It was one day when she had been sitting by the river that she developed her personal philosophy, one that appeared to have lasted five thousand years.

Water endured. Water was eternal. Water found the path of least resistance. Water did not try to force its way through the rocks, it curved around them. Water didn't try to change the situation, it made the situation work for it.

So Kisara became water. When the current village became uneasy with her, she moved on instead of ignoring their stares. When she was hungry, she ate what others threw out instead of stealing. When townspeople stoned her, she meekly endured it until they bored of her instead of throwing the rocks back at them.

When she found herself five millennia into the future, she learned how to live in this strange new place instead of driving herself insane in denial. Kisara mentally nodded to herself. This was the easiest path to take.

She blinked and looked up at Seto once more. "What do I do now?"

"Rest. Eat." Seto gestured at the forgotten tray lying on the table. "Those three girls you saw earlier have been taking care of you since yesterday. You don't speak English so you won't be able to understand each other, but their job is to help you and they'd better do their best."

"Seto? Why did you free me from the tablet?"

He abruptly stood and was halfway out the door before Kisara could even finish her question. "One of the girls will stop by in a few minutes to help you out. I'll see you later." The door shut and Kisara was left alone in the room.

She stared at the closed door, half-expecting him to come back in, but it didn't open. Sighing, she turned to her lunch tray, studying its contents. Creamy stew and soft bread, a tall glass of water. She was reaching for the spoon when the three girls poked their heads back inside.

Kisara watched, slightly amused, as they attempted to convey their names to her. The brown-haired girl was trying to do most of the introductions while the blonde laughed and the redhead giggled. Eventually, after much pointing and slow enunciation, Kisara could differentiate them on something besides their hair colors. Tea, Mai, and Serenity. What odd names. Kisara chewed on a piece of bread, listening as Tea rambled on. Kisara obviously couldn't understand her, but it was still nice to listen. Serenity was brushing Kisara's hair while Mai hunted through a stack of those unusual clothes everyone was wearing. The three girls were all so nice. If only Kisara could actually speak the same language as them.

Mai pulled out a flowing, wide-sleeved shirt that reminded Kisara of the crude dress she used to wear, only this one was much, much nicer and cleaner, of course, and it looked like it would fit her better. Mai also offered Kisara short blue pants. Seeing as the other three girls were also wearing pants like those and Seto hadn't thought anything wrong with it, Kisara accepted them, wondering at the customs of this society where women were allowed to wear the same thing as men.

Tea picked up the empty tray, and they all chorused their goodbyes – at least, that was what Kisara thought they were saying – and left the room. Kisara quickly slipped off the nightdress and changed into the shirt and pants, which were surprisingly comfortable.

There was a floor-length mirror in the room. Kisara had only ever seen small, polished, copper mirrors in marketplaces, and she almost gasped when she saw how perfectly this mirror reflected her. Just to make sure it wasn't some mischievous spirit wearing her image, she touched her cheek with her right hand, then did the same with her left.

As Kisara ran her fingers through her hair, she froze. Tea, Mai, and Serenity hadn't judged and shunned her because of her coloring. Serenity had looked like she'd even been complimenting her hair. Was it… Was it possible that she wouldn't be an outcast here? Could she fit in?

A broad smile found its way onto her face and for the first time in a long time, even from before she was locked in the tablet, she laughed.

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><p>Seto was not surprised to find Tea, Mai, and Serenity milling about the hallway, acting like they hadn't just been trying to eavesdrop. "So, learn anything?" he drawled sarcastically.<p>

"Probably would've if you'd spoken English," Mai said bluntly, not particularly caring he knew they'd been listening in on his conversation with Kisara.

"I didn't know you spoke Old Egyptian," Serenity said curiously.

Neither did he. At least it let him be able to communicate with Kisara. What had he been expecting, that she be able to speak perfect English? Sure, he had understood what everyone had been saying during that vision of the past, but as the events of five minutes prior proved, the Egyptian language came to him just as easily as English did. "I'm going –"

"You better not say you're going to get another drink," Tea interrupted. Seto scowled. What were they, his fairy godmothers? "You're the only person in this house who can understand a thing Kisara says and you better not be drunk when she needs you."

Seto was willing to bet that the Ishtars were able to speak Old Egyptian, but they hadn't even seen Kisara yet. No one had, not even Yami, or Yugi, whoever he was at the moment. Not even Mokuba. He'd already grudgingly allowed Tea and her two girlfriends take care of Kisara in the past twenty-four hours, but he wasn't going to let anyone else go in while Kisara was sleeping and prod her like a science experiment.

He took a deep breath and released it before glowering at Tea. "I'm going to get some lunch," he said icily. "One of you keep an eye on Kisara while she eats and help her pick out something to wear. I trust you can do that much." He stalked away and rounded the corner, making sure he was out of their sight before taking an alternative route to his study. Once there, he promptly poured himself a glass of brandy and fell back on the couch. Tea Gardner and her paranoia. Seto Kaiba did not get drunk.

When Serenity Wheeler had barged into his study earlier and told him Kisara was awake, he'd almost knocked the waif of a girl over in his haste to get to Kisara's room. And once he was there, he hadn't been able to believe his eyes when he saw her standing.

Kisara had taken the news of the five thousand year difference extraordinarily well, a lot better than he had taken the news of magic and of his trip down the Pharaoh's memory lane. Either she was incredibly adaptable or the shock just hadn't hit her yet. Judging by how long and hard she'd thought about the news when she heard it, it was probably the former.

Then just as he'd been about to make his escape, she asked that one last question.

_Why did you free me from the tablet?_

Seto ran away before he had to answer, but now he found himself wondering the same thing. He sipped his brandy and rubbed his aching temple. Damn it, what was he going to do with her? Everyone was probably expecting him to come out with some thought-out, elaborate plan to integrate Kisara with modern society or whatever. As what? A KaibaCorp employee? No matter how calm she'd been when he'd told her she was five thousand years away from the life she'd known, she was definitely not ready for all the high-tech equipment there.

What had he wanted when he'd first decided to try freeing her? For the nightmares to go away? They'd been gone for two months and replaced by barely tolerable dreams, but he'd still continued with the project. Why? What did he want from her?

One hand swirled his brandy glass while he stared at the other. Her hands were so small next to his and her wrists had been so skinny. She had definitely not been well-fed before being imprisoned in the tablet. The thought made his anger flare. She was never going to be hungry again while under his roof.

A minute later, he realized what he'd just decided. Kisara would stay with him. He – and Mokuba, now that she was awake – would slowly immerse her into the modern world. Introduce technology little by little. Teach her history, everything that had happened while she'd been in the tablet.

And then what, they'd live happily ever after, just like in fairy tales? Seto drained the rest of his glass. He'd figure something out. He always did.

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, the language barrier. Let's see how our favorite Yu-Gi-Oh characters deal with that.<strong>

**The convention was awesome! I did indeed buy some Yu-Gi-Oh stuff, but there are surprisingly few people who sell Yu-Gi-Oh related merchandise. I only found three or four stands in the entire place. Still, I got some good stuff. :)**

**Upcoming: Fluff! ^^ And a wee bit of foreshadowing tossed in. (Next update on Wednesday.)**


	9. More Than Okay

**Many thanks to The Duelist's Heiress, QueenofR, Meowth That's Write, Natasja Montenegro, Ricebovino, miaou5, biskittins, lesnuitsdhiver, and FutureMrsKatiePattinson for their wonderful reviews and to Elle Xue for their fave/alert!**

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><p><em>You know you've arrived at a good place in life when you can be encouraged by things that would've discouraged you in the past.<em>

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><p>Nine: More Than Okay<p>

Pegasus huffed impatiently. "All right, she's awake, can we see her yet?"

Seto sneered at the older businessman. "She's not a lab rat for you to ogle at."

"It's not like _you_ haven't been watching her while she was sleeping." Seto jerked his head up, but Pegasus' Eye was missing. "Ooh, I was actually right! Did you try to kiss her awake like in those lovely Disney movies?"

Seto clenched his fists. "It's also a matter of you _can't_ talk to her. Besides, she just woke up an hour ago –"

Light footsteps pattered down the stairs. Kisara paused in her descent when Seto, Pegasus, and the whole room of other project members turned to stare at her. Uneasy and unsure under their scrutiny, she looked at Seto for a sign of what she should do.

Pastel colors suited her. Darker shades would make her already pale visage look ghostly. Seto wasn't surprised to see her feet were bare. Then he snapped out of it and quickly strode up the stairs, meeting her halfway. "Did you eat well?" Obviously her wardrobe had been taken care of.

Kisara smiled shyly and nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality, sir." She gave a small curtsy.

Seto did his best not to turn bright red. Damn it, he never blushed, why was he doing it now? "Uh, there's no need for that. And, um, call me Seto." He didn't stutter, either. Ever. Nonetheless, his voice grew quieter and quieter as everyone in the foyer strained to listen in, despite the fact that only the Ishtars would probably be able to understand. And perhaps the Pharaoh. "What are you doing down here? Where are Tea and the other two?"

"I was looking for you. You said you would come back soon and I waited, but you didn't show so I decided to come to you." Seto had been on his way to her room when a maid had waylaid him and informed him that Pegasus, Yugi, and several others were waiting for him. "I'm not sure where Tea, Mai, and Serenity are, though I think they tried to tell me. I wish… I wish… I wish that I could speak like you all."

He took her hand and offered her a small smile. "I'll teach you."

Her eyes widened. "You will?"

"I'll teach you how to speak English and how to read it." That was another thing she probably couldn't do. Read, not even in her own language. There wasn't much of an educational system for peasants back then.

She smiled brilliantly at him and was about to say something else when Pegasus cooed, "You two look so adorable, Kaiba-boy!"

Then Seto remembered their audience and glared at them. "There. You've seen her. Now go away."

Pegasus shook his head and clucked his tongue. "Petulant and immature."

"Says the man-child." Seto led Kisara back up the stairs. "I'll have to go back down in a minute and talk to them again."

"Who are they?" Kisara asked curiously.

"They helped me free you from the tablet and they've been bothering me to let them see you ever since…"

"But I can't speak with them."

Honestly, even if she could speak English, he'd still be just as reluctant to let them in. "I'll see you as soon as I can shake them off." Now if only he could find those three irresponsible girls who were supposed to be helping him.

Seto lurched as something slammed into his back, stumbling but immediately righting himself. He spun around and stared down at Serenity, who was rubbing her head and looking sheepishly up at him. "Ah, sorry, Mr. Kaiba. We thought we lost Kisara, but, uh, here she is! With you!" He said nothing. She laughed nervously. "We'll go… watch a movie… or something." Serenity grabbed Kisara's arm and scurried away. Kisara looked back at Seto and smiled, waving as they rushed into one of the rooms.

"Kaiba-boy! Where are you?"

Seto's face turned from content to irritated. Drawing himself to his full height, he stalked back down the stairs, shooting dirty looks at Pegasus. "Everyone satisfied?"

"C'mon, Kaiba, you practically created a person outta stone," Joey exclaimed. "We all want to meet her. Dat's da 'human' thing to do, not let us get just a glimpse like a zoo animal."

"I see what you mean when you said we can't talk to her," Bakura said thoughtfully.

Yugi chuckled. "Yami said you were being really nice to her."

"And you were the one staring at her the whole time," Marik added slyly. "Looking forward to English classes, aren't you?"

Seto tried not to twitch. And this was the friendship thing that Yugi and Tea were always going on about? "Well, good luck trying to introduce yourselves."

"You forget that my brothers and I studied Kisara's language while we were growing up," Ishizu said mildly. "And besides being a museum curator, I also teach English to local children."

Wasn't that wonderful. "What, isn't your fantastic, stupendous magic capable of rewiring her brain to understand English? It seems to be the answer for everything else."

Odion shrugged. "We can look into it."

Seto's temper was bursting at the seams. He probably could've lasted a few more minutes, but then Pegasus threw himself down on a couch. "Phew! I was getting tired of all that standing."

Snap. Collapse. Boom. "That's it, YOU GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! I'm going to my study and when I come back, I want everyone gone!"

* * *

><p>"I like her dress."<p>

Mai looked at Kisara in bemusement. "What?"

What. That was one word Kisara had picked up on, after the other three's frequent usage of it when she slipped up and said something in her own tongue. They were currently watching what appeared to be moving pictures in a magic box, something called "Sin-Der-El-La." The dancing, singing mice and birds were cute, and the golden-haired girl whose story was being told was beautiful. Tea had taken a silver plate with a hole in the middle from a smaller box, and on the box was a picture of the golden-haired girl in a breathtaking pale blue gown.

"Um…" Kisara racked her brains for a way to make them understand her. Finally, she gently tugged on her own shirt and pointed at the golden-haired girl on the smaller box's cover.

The four of them all jumped when Seto's furious voice boomed throughout the house. They stared at the open doorway as his heavy footsteps thudded on the steps and down the hall, stopping just outside the room. He stood there in all his steaming fury, beckoning the other three over. Seto said something to them which they started to protest, Tea in particular, but he mercilessly squashed their arguments and motioned for them to leave.

Their footsteps and murmurs died away, and Kisara alone was left witness as Seto leaned against the door frame, clutching his head and muttering darkly to himself. For one heart-stopping moment, she wondered if he would vent his anger on her, as her past masters had.

No. Seto, whether from Egypt or from this new place, wouldn't do that. She was sure of it. As she had just seen and heard, Seto could get really mad – and dangerous, she assumed – but he wouldn't strike her.

The moment passed, his shoulders slumped, and he half sank to the floor before catching himself. Finally he looked at her, and she could see in his eyes the turmoil of his thoughts. Most likely they were about her. He slowly walked forward, as if wary she would run away like a skittish gazelle.

Seto sat down beside her on the carpet and glanced at the magic box. "Watching a movie?"

"A movie?"

He pointed at the magic box. "That's a television. It can show us movies, which are like stories that we can see and hear."

"And the silver plate Tea put in the… television?"

"A DVD. It's like the movie's vessel."

Kisara nodded, her earlier suspicion that there really weren't little people hiding in the _television_ now confirmed. "If movies are stories, then each one is different?"

"Yes. You're watching Cinderella right now." Seto rubbed the back of his neck. "I think there's an Egyptian version of the story. You know, a girl loses one of her shoes…"

Kisara's eyes lit up. "Horus drops the shoe in the Pharaoh's lap, the Pharaoh searches the kingdom for the girl whose foot fits the shoe, he finds her, and they marry!"

"I take it you like this story," Seto said wryly.

She nodded, self-consciously playing with her hair under his contemplative stare. "She has a hard life at first because she looks different… The other servant girls have black hair, brown eyes, dark skin, and she looks strange because she has golden hair, green eyes, pale skin… but she's the one who has the happiest ending."

Though Kisara had white hair and blue eyes and she hadn't dreamed of marrying the Pharaoh but a boy who had saved her life – and who turned out to be High Priest, which was one of the most respected positions in the kingdom – she could relate to the girl in the story perfectly.

Seto was still watching her. Blushing, Kisara picked up the smaller box that had held the DVD. "I love the color of her dress. I've always wanted to wear something this beautiful…" Still staring at her. She fidgeted. "If I was the reason you got angry earlier, I'm very sorry –"

"No, no, it wasn't your fault. I've just been thinking..." He mumbled something to himself and Kisara swore "_hypocrite_," whatever that word meant, was one of the things he uttered. "It will be a while before you get a grasp of the English language, but some of the people who were downstairs are dying to meet you."

Kisara felt queasy at the thought of even more people talking circles around her while she struggled to figure out what they were saying by judging their expressions and tones. "Well, if it would make you happy."

He looked at her thoughtfully. "You don't want to meet them yet," he stated. Was that a bit of relief in his voice?

"I would feel better if I knew at least a little bit of your language first," she admitted.

Seto nodded slowly, pensive. "How would you like to walk around outside and we can start a few lessons?"

Kisara enthusiastically agreed, and Seto lent her some rather large sandal-slippers for their stroll. They went several inches past her heel and threatened to fall off with every step she took. "I can walk barefoot," she offered, studying the footwear. At his incredulous look, she added, "I've been barefoot most of my life. I'm used to it."

"I'd still rather you wore the shoes. Sometimes there are rocks on the paths."

She shrugged and kept them on, more for his sake than her own. Years of creeping shoeless around the desert had hardened the soles of her feet. Unattractive, but tough, and better for a homeless waif like her than dainty, baby-soft ladies' feet would be.

Seto opened the door in the room he said was the kitchen, and the sweet smell of orchids drifted in, luring Kisara and her nose out onto the lawn.

Kisara floated past the orchid bushes, staring in awe at the lush garden surrounding her. No longer did she stand in acrid deserts, devoid of all life and greenery, scorching hot and bitterly dry. Now insects happily buzzed, birds chirped from branches, rays of sunlight kissed the ground as if Ra had opened the heavens and allowed grace to touch the earth.

A bubble of laughter escaped her and she took off, shoes falling off, forgotten, as she ran. The sound of water lapping against the shore drew her to the glistening lake, lovelier than any desert oasis. She fell onto a soft patch of grass, plunging her hands in the cool water, uncaring that her sleeves were getting wet. On a whim, she dunked her head into the lake, gazing in delight at the view below the surface before rising, aware that her upper body was completely soaked. And she wasn't the least bit bothered by it.

Kisara looked up as Seto appeared, who had gaped at the spot she had suddenly run off from for a good minute before he chased after her, scooping up her sandals as he went. "Are you okay?"

She beamed. "I'm more than okay." She wrung out her hair as he joined her on the ground. "How would you say that in English?"

By the time the sun was setting, they still sat there, whispering a quiet exchange of Kisara's language hesitantly mixed with English. Seto had absentmindedly started playing with her hair. He didn't seem aware of his action, but Kisara wasn't about to stop him any time soon.

"You're picking up English very fast," he said, breaking her out of the drowsy stupor she had been in danger of falling into.

"I have the right motivation to learn it," she murmured, enjoying the feeling of his long, slender fingers running through her hair.

"I think there are stories about dragons being able –"

"Seto!" Both of them snapped their heads up as a boy with shaggy black hair charged down the path toward them. The rest of his words were a blur to Kisara, too fast for her to comprehend. Then he and Seto started arguing about something, and Kisara sighed, gazing around at the rapidly darkening woods as she waited for them to remember her.

This Seto was so kind to her, just as much as her Seto had been. She frowned slightly. The line she had drawn earlier between the two Setos was blurring, and she didn't know how to feel about it. She was starting to see more of her Seto in this one, but they still weren't the same person. Then she felt a twinge of guilt. Was she betraying her Seto by becoming so close to this Seto?

Kisara heard a twig snapping, and she glued her eyes to the trees. Neither Seto nor the boy had heard, but her senses were better than most humans'. Though her dragon was gone, it had left its gifts behind. Including the gift of tongue, it seemed, and now the senses.

For a single second, a pair of dark eyes met hers, then the shadow disappeared. Her heart pounded as she waited breathlessly for another movement, but the forest was still once more.

"Kisara?" Seto and the boy were both standing and ready to leave. "What's the matter?"

Seeing Seto standing tall and strong in the growing moonlight made Kisara feel foolish. It was just an animal. "Nothing." She picked herself up and peered at the boy curiously, noting his almost violet eyes. "How… are you?" Kisara managed in English.

The boy grinned at her. "Great." She recognized that word. A good sign.

"This is my brother, Mokuba," Seto told her as he mussed up Mokuba's already unkempt hair. "He's been looking forward to meeting you."

Kisara's smile grew as Mokuba's naturally friendly air relaxed her. They headed back to the house, Mokuba attempting to sound out words in Kisara's language, but even as she laughed, she couldn't help but glance uneasily over her shoulder at the darkness they were leaving behind.

Still, as she unconsciously slipped her hand into Seto's and he instinctively squeezed it, she felt invincible from any shadow.

* * *

><p><strong>Drama, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, suspense, and fluff. <strong>

**You guys don't mind if I speed up English 101, do you? I know it's supposed to take years for adults to learn English, but… yeah, not going to cut it. :P ****Also, since a few people have questioned me about it: I know that the wielder of the Key was Shimon, THEN Shada, whose reincarnation is Shadi; and I clearly state that the wielder of the Scale is Karim. 'Kay-thanks.**

**So I'm going on vacation now, which means no internet for almost two weeks, and I'll be leaving you all. Again. T~T I'll update as soon as I get back - or after I get over the jet lag, I guess. In the meantime, I drew a picture of Seto, and I don't think it's half-bad, considering the amount of time it took to complete. ^^ It is NOT anime/manga style, probably closer to Final Fantasy-style, though I'm nowhere near as good as those geniuses over there. If you're interested, it's on DeviantArt, under reader13lovesbooks, and it's titled "Seto Kaiba - Destiny."**

**Review please!**


	10. Intertwined

**Many thanks to The Duelist's Heiress, Harya, Sallie, Lace Kyoko, biskittins, lesnuitsdhiver, Meowth That's Write, miaou5, MackenzieMedica, TeresaShiho, hopelessmine, QueenofR, and Miaett for their wonderful reviews and to xVampirexElegancex, kolbow, Kiyoshi Kozue, IcyBreeze7, and Kisara Harlow for alerting/faving!**

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><p><em>Real success isn't about winning or losing but going the distance.<em>

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><p>Ten: Intertwined<p>

Mokuba had a secret girlfriend. Why he would think it necessary to hide the fact from his own brother, Seto didn't know. Mokuba was probably afraid Seto would tell him to break up with her – which meant Seto had probably already met her before and didn't particularly like her for some reason or the other.

Seto had a lot of reasons to not like people.

But surely he could get over whatever dislike he had for this mystery girl for the sake of Mokuba's happiness. And it was Mokuba's business. His love life. It wasn't like his little brother was preaching Seto about what to do with Kisara.

Seto's hand paused midway through turning the page of the grammar book he was looking through. What was he talking about? Kisara's case was completely different from that of Mokuba's girlfriend, whoever she was. All Kisara was doing was living in Seto's house, eating meals with him, spending copious amounts of time alone with him, taking walks with him, inadvertently making him scramble (gracefully, of course) every time it even looked like she needed something… Oh, and she was very pretty…

Shit. She'd only been awake for several weeks, only been in his life for that same amount of time. When had she become his not-really-girlfriend? And why wasn't he feeling upset at this revelation? Seto swiveled around in his desk chair, gazing out his study window down onto the lawn, where the subject of his thoughts was having a picnic lunch with Tea, Mai, and Serenity.

Kisara's English had gone from nonexistent to conversant at a _much_ faster pace than even Seto, who'd had very high expectations of the clearly exceptional girl, could believe. Natural flair for languages? Draconian skill with tongues? Gift of comprehension from her gods? Sheer willpower? A combination of all of the above?

"I think I am ready to meet the other people now," Kisara had told Seto during breakfast. In English.

"Okay," he'd answered, too preoccupied with watching the way her hair shone in the morning sunlight to really process what she'd just said. Then, "Wait, what?" Yes, what the hell was wrong with him? He was acting just like a simpering, pathetic, lovesick fool –

Hold that thought.

Kisara's brow furrowed in worry. "Did I… say it wrong?" Her words came out more hesitantly now that she was under the belief she'd incorrectly translated what was on her mind.

"No, no, no, what you said was right. Just… never mind. I'll see what I can do about you meeting the others."

He still hadn't picked up the phone.

The Ishtars had left town ages ago, but not before telling Seto they would come back to Domino in a few months to make the long-awaited acquaintance with Kisara. (Because surely by then she would be comfortable in front of more people.) Three fewer to pester him, but unfortunately everyone else who'd been involved in the project in some way either lived in Domino City or was Pegasus, who was practically retired and could pretty much do whatever he wanted.

Laughter pealed from the garden, and Seto's eyes immediately found themselves drawn to the white-haired girl sitting by the rosebushes. Her face was pink from playing tag with the other three, a game she was delighted to find herself good at. She abruptly looked up at his window and beamed happily at him, to which he responded with a small smile of his own.

That was when Seto decided he wasn't quite ready yet to share Kisara.

Then he saw that the girls had packed up their picnic and were on their way inside, and he belatedly remembered the little luncheon Kisara had left for him because he'd claimed he had too much work to be able to join them. The sandwich disappeared in four bites, the fruit salad was devoured without him really tasting any of it, and the chocolate chip cookies were stashed in a drawer to bribe Mokuba with later.

Seto was sweeping crumbs off his desk when Kisara tiptoed in. "Hello!" she said brightly. "Did you enjoy your lunch?"

"Yes, thank you. Your English is still improving."

Kisara ducked her head in embarrassment but still glowed with pride. There was a question in her eyes, and Seto patiently waited for her to find the nerve to ask. "Seto, what is Duel Monsters? Mai was talking about it and explained a little, but I didn't understand completely."

"Duel Monsters is a game, the most popular one in the world. It's played with cards, and my company – my business – designs technology – machinery, that sort of thing – to make better the gaming experience."

Kisara nodded slowly, mulling over his words. She'd recently requested Seto speak solely in English to her and she was constantly absorbing new vocabulary, while he'd developed an eye for when she didn't know a certain word and automatically provided a short definition for it. "Mai said you play Duel Monsters."

"Used to play," Seto corrected instinctively.

"Oh. Do you not like Duel Monsters anymore?"

He shook his head. "I didn't have time to play it anymore, and I've never gotten around to picking it up again." The game had also put him off when he'd realized it was inextricably intertwined with magic and ancient Egypt. And whenever he played the Blue Eyes, he remembered the Shadow Games that were the reason why Kisara had died.

"Oh," Kisara repeated, looking very downcast.

Seto frowned slightly, troubled by her grayer mood. "What's the matter?"

"I was… I was hoping you could teach me… But, ah, it's okay…" She bounced on the balls of her bare feet, nibbling on her lip as she glanced sideways at Seto.

A single blink of those big blue eyes utterly defeated his weak resistance. "I'll think about it."

Delight lit up her face as she bid him goodbye and flitted back down the hall. Seto ran his hand through his hair, setting it in complete disarray, before propping his chin up on his hand and letting his gaze slide over to the neglected deck of cards sitting on the corner of his desk. He'd gotten back into the habit of carrying them around with him, but every time he reached for the top card, he stopped himself and changed the direction of his hand to his coffee cup.

He rapidly tapped his foot on the hardwood floor, shifting so that he was hunched over the desk, glowering down at the playing cards. His adolescent obsession over being the champion, over crushing Yugi, would they come back with his return to the game?

Only one way to find out. Seto drew the first card and was met with the unrelenting stare of his most faithful, reliable monster. He could hear its roar in some distant realm of his memory, faintly see its white lightning attack in his mind's eye. He'd always loved the feeling of power just holding the card gave him, the power to annihilate his opponent without mercy, to devastate the field and prove himself the inherent victor. "It's been too long," Seto murmured to himself, already unlocking the forgotten part of his mind that plotted the ultimate strategies to defeat those foolish enough to challenge him. Perhaps if he caught Yugi off-guard –

No. He wasn't doing this for his title. He was doing this for Kisara. Only Kisara. _She has you wrapped around her little finger, doesn't she?_

He replaced the Blue Eyes back in the deck, picked up the whole stack, and went off in search of his new pupil. All he had to do was follow the sound of peppy, techno DDR music. One of the girls had apparently discovered the game room.

Tea whooped victoriously as he warily peered inside. "Oh, yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Tea's high score flashed onscreen as Serenity disentangled herself from the dance mat, laughing good-naturedly.

"Hey, get in here, Kaiba." Damn. Caught. Mai's call attracted the attention of the other three, and Kisara looked curiously at him. "We want to borrow Kisara tonight," the blond duelist continued.

"For what?" Seto asked suspiciously.

"My spa's completely free tonight. Kisara deserves a girls' night out."

"Isn't it a girls' night out with you all every night?"

"Quit whining, Kaiba, you get her eighty percent of the time. She hasn't left your property at all these past few weeks."

"She's still overwhelmed by cars and computers, she's not ready for downtown Domino yet."

Serenity's tentative voice spoke up. "Why don't you just ask Kisara if she wants to go?"

Heads turned to the girl in question, who had been following the argument with an intense look of concentration. When she realized she was expected to say something, she blushed and asked, "I'm sorry, what am I doing?"

Berating himself for not thinking of asking Kisara first, Seto softened his expression. "Mai wants to take you to her beauty parlor in the city. Do you want to go?"

Kisara hesitated, looking between the CEO and the beauty specialist. "I… I…" She didn't want to upset either of them.

"Mai, isn't your spa on the edge of the city and suburbs, anyway?" Tea interjected. "It's not exactly downtown." Mai nodded vehemently.

"Um…" Kisara tugged on a lock of her hair. "I suppose I could go to the… the spa, tonight… if I spend time with Seto first?" Serenity and Tea suddenly clapped their hands over their mouths as their bodies shook in amusement, noises that sounded like strangled snickers escaping them, while Mai smirked knowingly.

"Of course." Seto flashed a smile at Kisara before narrowing his eyes at the gigglers three. "You've had her all morning and you'll get her tonight. It's my turn now, so go away."

"Possessive," Mai muttered, grabbing her purse as they filed out of the room. "Be back at seven!"

Seto waited for the distant slamming of the front door before shutting off the TV and looking once more at Kisara. Her legs hung off the couch, swinging back and forth, while she sucked on a chocolate lollipop, one of her favorite innovations of the twenty-first century. She was watching the tropical fish swimming about in the giant aquarium in the corner, but her attention immediately shifted to Seto when he quietly cleared his throat. "Did you have fun today?" Kisara nodded eagerly. "Good, good," he mumbled absentmindedly. He held his Duel Monsters deck up and watched her face light up. "I can get in a quick lesson right now if you want."

"Of course!" She patted the seat beside her and he sat down, acutely aware of her nearness and the scent of lotuses surrounding her. "What's first?"

"Each game of Duel Monsters has two players facing each other. Both have what are called life points, and each player wants to get the other's life points to zero." He looked to make sure she was following. "You take their life points either by attacking them directly or by attacking their monsters."

"Monsters?"

"There are three types of cards. Monster, spell, and trap." His hand hovered for a second before revealing the top card. "This is a monster."

For a moment, Kisara was completely still. Then slowly, she reached out and took the card from Seto's unresisting fingers. "My dragon," she breathed, eyes shining with emotion. She clutched the card to her chest and breathed deeply, as if hoping she could somehow absorb its essence that way.

Seto lowered the deck to his lap. "Maybe we should do this some other time –"

She shook her head. "No, we just… I'll be okay. What about the other cards? Trap cards?"

He skimmed his deck before selecting one. "Wish of Final Effort. It can change the attack points of your last monster destroyed and sent to the graveyard into life points." His eyes traced the painted image of the girl with her head bowed, wielding a shining sword, and he winced as the memory of a distant arc of green ice ghosted through his torso.

Small hands wrapped around his wrist, and clear blue eyes met troubled cobalt ones. "What happened?" she asked softly.

He ran his hand down his face, still staring at the card. "The current world champion of Duel Monsters is Yugi Muto, one of the people who want to meet you," he began. "He and I were in some trouble a few years ago with a man named Dartz. It's… complicated, but Dartz had a way of stealing souls, different from the Millennium Items. He used something called the Seal of Orichalcos and involved Yugi and me in a duel. Whoever lost the duel lost their soul. I lost. But before the Seal took me, I revealed a trap card I had laid down. This one. It was too late for me, but… it saved Yugi." He heaved a sigh. "I used to not believe in magic, but I guess on that day, I started wondering if there could be any truth to it, because if I were in complete denial over it, I don't think I would have used it to help Yugi."

Kisara gazed down at the card. "It's very beautiful. It means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"I suppose." A physical embodiment of one of the turning points in his life, and it was a piece of cardboard…

She looked up at him and smiled. "Then it's my favorite card."

Seto managed a weak smile in return. "You've only seen these two so far." And he would've thought a certain dragon would've been the one to gain her favor.

"But it will always be my favorite, just because it means so much for you." Kisara placed both the Blue Eyes and Wish of Final Effort back in the deck. She glanced at him and reached up, smoothing his hair back down. "It was messy."

"Uh-huh." Now he knew why Kisara always looked so content when he played with her hair. She looked so adorable, face slightly scrunched in concentration as she tried to get that one lock to behave.

Her lips were very pink.

Very nice.

Would she mind?

Kisara's eyes widened as Seto swooped and caught her very admirable lips with his own, but then they fluttered closed and she unconsciously leaned closer to him.

Nope, she didn't mind.

She made a quiet noise of delight and he deepened the kiss, moving his hands to her waist. Her arms draped around his neck and their chests pressed together as his back met the sofa cushion –

"Hey, thereeeaahhhgghhhh…" Mokuba's strangled cry faded as he hightailed it back out into the hallway.

Seto and Kisara broke apart, and she blinked in surprise, hair mussed and cheeks red. Seto sighed and glared halfheartedly at the open door. "I'm going to kill him."

"I'm sure he didn't…" She tried to pull away, but his grip was firm. "S-sorry, I don't know what – I didn't mean to kiss you."

"I did." At his words, her face grew even redder and she buried it in his shirt, the only place she could hide. "I'm getting the feeling that you've kissed before." But he definitely wasn't complaining.

"Just… just once, with… with…"

"_Priest_ Seto?" Seto guessed. She made a noise that vaguely sounded like affirmation. "I see. Who was better?"

Her head shot up. "Better?" she squeaked. He nodded, gaze unrelenting. "I can't really… That's not a fair question… You… were both equally good?"

"We can't both kiss exactly the same."

She bit her lip, trying to find a diplomatic answer that would insult neither the memory of her first love nor the man who was currently keeping her a willing prisoner in his arms. "You're gentler. And softer." A spark of fire flitted across her expression. "But he was a lot… hungrier."

Then Kisara found herself on her back, trapped beneath Seto's body. "I can do hungry."

* * *

><p>Several rooms away, Mokuba could hear Kisara giggling. He hadn't heard Seto saying anything to make her laugh, so that meant…<p>

"Ew," he grumbled, shoving his headphones on. At sixteen, he definitely knew a thing or two about kissing and cuddling, but listening to his own brother doing it?

Yech.

* * *

><p><strong>Weren't expecting a kiss that early, were you? ^^ Hopefully not too many of you are kiss-at-the-end fans, but I personally dislike it when storiesmovies/etc. drag out kisses that are obviously supposed to happen until the very last moment. A bit more romantic, sure, why not, but intensely frustrating for both the characters and the viewers. :P And some drama is officially coming up next chapter, so I might as well give these two a break before the storm.**

**I feel bad I was gone for so long and I'm really grateful and flattered that you all waited so patiently, but – man, vacation was awesome! Cruise ship + Greek isles + hilarious Romanian "vampire" waiter = _amazing_.**

**Upcoming: Kisara has a nice girl chat, only to come home to a very big technological shock, and Seto agrees to work with Yugi on yet another "project."**

**Review please!**


	11. Magic and Science

**Many thanks to The Duelist's Heiress, QueenofR, plenoptic, Bond of Flame08, xVampirexElegancex, Meowth That's Write, miaou5, lesnuitsdhiver, lxcloisennexl, and Harya for reviewing and to Aqua girl 007, phantom-phan-28, Cvaldez3563, and Diana Shadow for alerting/faving!**

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><p><em>Magic is science we don't understand yet.<em>

* * *

><p>Eleven: Magic and Science<p>

Mai brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear before going back to work. "No offense, Kisara hun, but your feet are _tough_."

Kisara slurped her fruity drink, grimacing apologetically at the blonde. "I used to walk around a lot barefoot…"

"Oh, I completely understand, hun, don't worry about it. Never had a job I couldn't do." Mai continued scrubbing Kisara's foot with pumice. She was determined to make Kisara's travel-worn feet baby-soft before the night was over and had laughed when Kisara dubiously wished her luck.

"So what's it like living with the Kaibas?" A fifth girl had joined their party. Rebecca Hawkins, who was about Mokuba's age, was painting pink polish on Serenity's nails while Tea curled Rebecca's hair. Kisara wasn't sure what to make of Rebecca so far. The younger girl was very loud and outspoken, but she was also quite nice when she felt like it, and curious about Kisara's mysterious origins.

Kisara recalled the rather enjoyable way she had passed the afternoon and blushed. "It's interesting," she said lamely.

Mai's vigorous movements ceased. "Whoa, hun, what happened? Something juicy, am I right?"

And Kisara was surrounded by four girls starving for gossip. "Ah…"

Tea squealed. "You kissed, didn't you?"

Rebecca held up her hand. "We're talking about Seto Kaiba, right?"

"Mokuba's a bit young for Kisara," Serenity pointed out. The usually well-behaved redhead grinned mischievously. "Besides, it's Kaiba who always looks ready to eat her up."

Kisara hid her face behind her hair, furiously red, while the others burst in laughter at Serenity's choice of words. "What's it like kissing him?" Tea asked eagerly. Her fellow gossipers gaped at her and she rolled her eyes. "Come on, we've all wondered about Kaiba like that before."

"Maybe," Serenity mumbled.

Mai smirked. "Sure. You have to admit, Kaiba is one fine specimen of man."

"Eh." Rebecca shrugged dismissively. "Not my type."

"Tell, tell, tell!"

To think, in Egypt this kind of talk was taboo. Girls who kissed men whom they weren't married to were branded promiscuous and unworthy of a good marriage. Once again, Kisara was awed at the freedom that women had in this modern society. "Really, really good."

"Does he take it slow or just skip right to dessert?" Mai persisted.

Skip to dessert? What was that supposed to mean? "…Both?"

"He's a keeper!" Tea proclaimed.

Kisara leaned back in her seat and tuned out the other four's ensuing discussion about various boys they'd kissed. Some of the words were getting a bit too complicated for her. She really ought to start carrying one of those mini dictionary things Seto had mentioned.

Seto. The second man she had ever kissed. Like he had said, his kisses were much different than Priest Seto's, though just as full of fire and desire. Her heart fluttered at the memory of his nimble fingers ghosting across her skin. He'd said that he had a surprise for her when she got back from her girls' night –

"…Hello? Kisara? You there?" Rebecca bellowed in her ear.

Kisara jumped like a startled rabbit. "What's going on?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Daydreaming about _him_ again…" Laughter burbled from the others and Kisara spent the rest of the night dodging their insistent questions about Seto and his "various talents."

It was late when Kisara finally returned home, but Seto was still wide awake. Almost as soon as she stepped past the door, she found herself being whisked away to her room. "What is it, Seto?" They abruptly stopped, and that was when Kisara saw what Seto called a _laptop_ sitting on her desk. "Seto, I… I don't even know how to use this!"

"I'll show you." He sat her down in the chair and immediately began explaining the more rudimentary computer skills. Kisara got the feeling that Seto liked computers. "This is a mouse. You use it to control the arrow icon on the screen."

"But it doesn't look like a mouse."

"That's just what it's called."

Kisara tilted her head, studying the "mouse" from a different angle. Maybe it did look a little like a mouse, as long as the mouse's ears and tail had been chopped off, and if its face was squashed, and if she kind of closed her eyes a bit…

No. No, she didn't see it.

"You can also use this pad here to control the arrow icon if you don't have a mouse at hand." Seto tapped a small, textured rectangular area on the laptop. "The keyboard is what you use to write on the computer. Your reading and spelling skills are good enough for you to be able to put it to use. There are a lot more things you can do on a laptop, but I can explain those some other time. Do you understand what I've told you so far?"

Physically, Kisara nodded, smiling. Mentally, she was whipping her head side to side, staring in horror and confusion at the metallic block of technology in front of her. Mouse? Keyboard? Arrow icon? Light switches and indoor plumbing she could handle, but this was in a whole other league.

But Seto looked so happy to be giving this laptop to her, she didn't have the heart to tell him that it was kind of useless to her at the moment. "Thank you, Seto."

Seto smiled and kissed her cheek, and her worries about the laptop were swept away by his attentions. "Did you miss me tonight?" Kisara nuzzled his neck. "I'll take that as a yes. What did Valentine do to you?"

"She painted my nails." Kisara waved her fingers slightly.

He grabbed her hand and examined the miniature white dragons inscribed in light blue polish. "Well, who knew Valentine was the artistic type." He kissed her palm. "Anything else?"

"She gave me something called lip gloss, to see how it looks…"

"Lovely." He covered her mouth with his own, fisting his hand in her hair that had just been meticulously styled by Serenity, not that he really gave a damn. Literally stealing Kisara's breath away, he laid his other hand on her waist while she cupped his face. But then they had to come up for air, and – unwillingly, she dared to say – he gently extricated himself from her. "Goodnight," he murmured. A swift kiss on her forehead and he was gone. Kisara propped her chin up on the back of her chair, gazing dreamily at the door he had just exited through.

"Yech. Is it over yet?"

Kisara stifled a shriek and whirled around to stare at her laptop. On the screen was a boy with green hair, covering his eyes with his hands. "_Who are you_?"

The boy peeked out from between his fingers, as if making sure the coast was clear, before lowering his arms and looking at her. "I'm Noah. You're Kisara, I presume?"

She nodded slowly, still in shock. "Are… are you _supposed_ to be on my… 'laptop'?"

"It's a long story. But I have been on this computer for a while. It's a pretty good one, actually, but Seto put it in storage since he didn't really have any use for it, I guess, until you came along, so now I get to talk to an actual person again."

Kisara rubbed her eyes. "Noah" was still there. "Should I tell Seto about you…?"

"I'm quite surprised he didn't find me when he was setting this computer up for you. Guess I beat him this round, ha. Anyway…" Noah scratched his head. "I really don't want to risk him wiping me off the hard drive out of spite – we had a little sticky spot a while back – so… if you're going to tell, at least tell Mokuba first and let him decide if he wants to talk to Seto?" Kisara's confusion must have shown on her face, because Noah started looking frustrated. "Right, I heard somewhere along the network that you can't speak English fluently yet."

Hard drive, network… Her head was spinning. Wiping Noah off? He didn't look like a smudge that could be cleaned by a rag. Seto said that English had many words of phrases, speeches of phrases – oh, she didn't get this at all! Ahhhhhh…

"Are you okay?"

"I'm going to sleep." Kisara closed the laptop's lid, like she had seen Seto do, and it was only after she'd crawled into bed that she wondered if closing the laptop had somehow hurt or offended Noah.

Gah! And today had started out so nicely.

* * *

><p>This was the tenth one Seto had received. The first one had gained a thorough reading but resulted only in confusion for the CEO. The next three merited only a skimming. Anything else following that gained only a glance at the title. Fed up, Seto finally dialed a certain number that he really ought to have on speed dial by now.<p>

"_Hi, Kaiba_."

"Yugi, I don't know what you're up to, but I want it to stop."

"_Kaiba_ –"

"I'm a gaming engineer, not a biologist. Why the hell are you sending me all these articles about cloning and Dolly the Sheep?"

A slightly static-y sigh from the other end. "_After we got Kisara out of the tablet, Yami started thinking… You see, we know from Bakura that it's nearly impossible to create a body out of nothing, since his other half tried so many times, but something must've been given up in order for Kisara to have a physical body, you know?_"

Seto's fingers stopped drumming against his desk. _There is always a price_. Was this the price his dream had told him about? What had Kisara given up? She hadn't said anything about feeling anything different, except… except… "Her dragon."

"_Sorry?_"

"Kisara says she can't feel her Blue Eyes anymore," Seto muttered. "Could it…?"

"_The Blue Eyes is really powerful, and it explains a lot. Yami didn't think your generator alone was enough to form a body, but with the Blue Eyes… it adds up. Leaving behind the reason she was trapped in the tablet in order to escape it._"

Well, that solved one problem, but there was another question that still needed an answer. "What does any of this have to do with cloning?"

"_Oh. Yeah. All the talk about magic and science working together to bring Kisara out made Yami wonder if Bakura's other half had gone about attempting to make a body the wrong way, if he should've tried science instead_."

"You want to clone Bakura so his insane alter ego can have a body?" And wasn't said insane alter ego dead, or wherever it was insane alter egos went after getting their asses kicked?

"_No! That's not what I mean! I meant… could we make a body for Yami?_"

Seto straightened in his chair. "What, you two are sick of each other now?"

He could practically hear Yugi shaking his head. "_No-no-no, it's just that Yami was curious about it, and, well, we wouldn't say no if the opportunity came up. He deserves to be his own person._"

"Yami had the chance three years ago to be his own person – afterlife – dead soul – whatever you call it. When he dueled you and lost. Is he regretting staying behind?"

The deeper timbre of voice told Seto that Yami was in control. "_I regret nothing, Kaiba. Staying with my friends was the best decision I have ever made. But I have noticed that by lingering and still sharing a body with Yugi, I have been hindering certain aspects of his social life._" Seto remained silent. He could hear Yami rolling his eyes on the other end. "_Dating_."

Yugi actually had a love life? He'd hit his growth spurt a while back, but he was still way on the short side. Who could he be dating, Tea? Serenity? Rebecca Hawkins? Surely not Mai, she was way out of his league, and she was supposedly going out with Wheeler. "Okay… but why are you coming to me with this? Like I said earlier, I work with computers, not DNA and cells."

"_You're the only one we know with the resources to do something like this. And we figured you'd be curious to see how it turned out, too._"

The CEO propped his feet up on his desk. "True, I am curious about this now." He'd resurrected a girl from a giant rock, why not clone the King of Games? "You do realize that human cloning is borderline illegal?"

"_Only regarding funding, which I'm sure you'd have no problem with._"

Seto contemplated the matter for a moment longer. KaibaCorp had no pressing projects at the moment. The newest Duel Disks had been recently released, so there were no demands for new Dueling technology. His own Kisara Project was done for. And it wasn't like two Yugis would be such a terrible thing, as opposed to two Wheelers or two Tea Gardners or, heaven forbid, two Pegasuses. He'd be quite interested in seeing whether or not Yugi really was better than Yami or if it was just a fluke. "It's going to take time to find a research team."

"_Of course_." There was a brief pause, as if Yami had stopped to listen to something Yugi was saying. "_Oh? Kaiba, Yugi says that he knows someone researching cloning – human cloning in particular_."

Seto resisted the urge to dramatically throw his hands in the air in exasperation. "Then why didn't Yugi ask him first to help you two out?"

"_Her_," Yami corrected. "_And besides the fact that she's not as familiar with magic as you are, her team lacks funding, which you have. What a wonderful coincidence_."

Fan-fricking-tastic. "So are you actually going to tell me who this scientist is?"

"_Miho Nosaka._"

Nosaka… Why did that name sound familiar? Seto recalled a head of purplish-blue hair and groaned. Miho Nosaka had been a classmate of his before transferring sometime in the eleventh grade. She'd hung out with the Geek Squad, and Tristan had been head over heels for her. Seto twitched as he remembered the short period of time Miho had a crush on him, but thankfully that had gone away pretty quickly. "Are you sure? From what I remember, she isn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box."

"_She's actually really smart_!" Yugi was back on. "_She was specially selected to be on a cloning research team at UPenn_."

"I'll judge her for myself," Seto said coolly. But Miho's acceptance to an Ivy surprised him. She'd always acted so flighty and flirty, he'd dismissed her as just another airheaded fangirl. "You're lucky you convinced me to take on this cloning thing at all. Don't press me about who I'm going to have to work with. Now if you'll excuse me, it's getting late." Yugi barely managed a goodbye before Seto hung up.

He clasped his fingers together, deep in thought. Yet another project had landed on his table, completely unrelated to gaming. Kisara's project had been different, he'd had a much more personal interest in it and he'd been able to keep it quiet. But cloning – not only would this be much more expensive and definitely get the attention of his board, but the researchers and scientists would want to publish their work. And this project could not go public. Not the part with Yugi and Yami, at least. But money could usually buy silence. He'd have to work out some kind of contract with the team before anything happened.

Seto turned to his computer and looked up Miho Nosaka. Automatically skipping past her Facebook and Formspring accounts, he clicked on a prospective link to the University of Pennsylvania website. The page listed the dozen or so people on the research team, and he started from the top.

The team was led by Professor Neal Singh, who was an astonishing twenty-six years old. Then again, Seto had taken over KaibaCorp at age sixteen, so perhaps not that astonishing. Singh had very impressive credentials and accomplishments to his name, and countless research papers. Seto opened a separate window and looked up the esteemed professor, glancing through the extensive list of biology essays the search provided. He was about to exit when a link at the bottom of the page caught his eye.

As Seto read, his eyebrows rose higher and higher. _Integral to the War… reportedly the mastermind behind the rebels… refused every offer from both government and media to reveal what happened behind the scenes… could have been set for life…_

Now that begged a different question. Singh couldn't be bought over by money, which Seto admired, though it made things that much more difficult for him. But would Singh keep quiet if there was sufficient reason for his silence? Seto knew now that he wanted Singh on this project, but could they risk telling the professor about Yami and the Puzzle? Scientists didn't believe in magic.

Then again, there had been plenty of fervent, though unproved, reports of supernatural forces at work during the War. Seto hadn't given much thought to them at the time, but perhaps they did have some grain of truth. If Singh really had been so important, he would've had to come in contact with this so-called paranormal activity sometime.

After all, Seto Kaiba had been convinced that there were some things above human comprehension. Surely such a "liberal, open-minded, revolutionary biologist" could be, too.

* * *

><p><strong>Say hi to Noah! I wanted to fit him in the story somehow and this is what happened. ^^ Kudos to Bond Of Flame08 for almost guessing the new project. I've noticed most stories just say "Yami and Yugi have separated bodies, the end, moving on." No explanation how they separated. So tada!<strong>

**For those of you who don't know, Miho Nosaka is from "Season 0" of Yu-Gi-Oh, which only aired in Japan. I've never seen any of the episodes myself, to tell the truth, so from what I can gather from my internet searches, Miho was kind of silly, flirtatious, and capricious. Well, three, four years can change people, can't they? She'll be coming into the story soon.**

**Neal Singh is an original character (whose appearance and interest in science I borrowed from a supportive friend of mine). He'll make his debut next chapter, and I really hope you all like him!**

**Upcoming: More Noah drama, and Seto and Yugi learn from Neal Singh himself the true reasons for the War.**

**Review please!**


	12. Do You Believe in Magic?

**Thanks so much to phantom-phan-28, Riiiceballe, TeresaShiho, miaou5, plenoptic, Magdalene Thorne, Aqua girl 007, hopelessmine, and QueenofR for reviewing and to YaneDirnt20 for alerting!**

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><p><em>Good judgment comes from experience, and experience often comes from bad judgment.<em>

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><p>Twelve: Do You Believe in Magic?<p>

It looked so innocent, just sitting there on her desk, humming almost silently. If it hadn't been a gift from Seto, she would've burned it, or tossed it out the window, or… something, by now.

Kisara inched toward the laptop, clutching a pillow to her chest as if the feathery sack could offer some kind of protection from whatever havoc the _computer_ tried to wreak. She stared at the device for a long moment, taking a deep breath before quickly flipping it open and ducking behind her chair.

Silence. And silence. And more silence. Then – "I'm not going to hurt you or anything."

"I'd rather not take your word for it, if you don't mind," was the squeaked reply.

What sounded like a sigh of exasperation. "If you're really that scared of me, just have Mokuba come take a look."

"But you might hurt him instead!"

"Oh boy," Noah muttered. "Listen, Kisara – can I call you that?"

"Uh, okay…" Not like she had any other names. But that was another thing about this time, people today had two names.

"Kisara, would Seto give you anything dangerous?"

Well… Slowly, she shook her head, until she remembered Noah couldn't see her where she was hiding. "N-no…"

"Excellent. Now that we've come to an understanding, can you please get up? I'm having trouble seeing anything past this keyboard."

Kisara released the breath she was holding. She could do this. The laptop didn't even reach her knees when stood up on the floor, for Ra's sake. She could take it – or Noah, whatever it, he, was supposed to be called – if Noah tried anything. Tentatively, she poked her head over the back of the chair and was greeted with the sight of Noah, dressed in a garish red and yellow shirt and green shorts, lounging on a chair set in a golden beach, impossibly cerulean waves lapping against the sand.

He lifted his sunglasses, as if surprised Kisara had actually heeded his request. "There you – oh. Sorry." Instantly the computer screen changed to Noah wearing a white uniform, background a no-nonsense blue grid. "So, let's talk." He gestured for her to sit.

Kisara was still so unnerved by the teal-haired boy that it didn't occur to her how arrogant it was for him to invite her to sit in _her_ room. "Is it normal for, uh, people to live in… computers?"

"Yeah. Every PC comes with a techno-pal." He snickered at the look on her face. "No, I'm actually a very rare case. Mokuba or dear Seto can explain it to you in more detail some other time." Noah tapped his chin. "However, even a non-English speaker should know what's what on computers. Has someone invented time travel sometime in the past three years?"

Rapid knocking sounded from the door. "Kisara, you up?" Mokuba's muffled voice called.

"Um, yes, I –" Kisara glanced at the screen, but Noah was gone. All that was left was a harmless, trite aquarium with vapid-eyed fish. "Er, come in?"

Mokuba peered inside and grinned at her. It was Saturday, which he'd told Kisara was one of the days he could stay home from school. Seto had also told her not to believe Mokuba if he tried to convince her there were more than two days in the weekend. "You're up late today." Without waiting for an explanation, he plunged on. "We both missed breakfast, but there's still time for brunch. It's a combination of both breakfast and lunch," he clarified.

"That sounds great." Kisara cast one last look at the laptop before following Mokuba out. "Where is Seto?" Seto had recently started going back to work on a regular basis, once he'd made sure she had "settled in," but he usually made it a point to be home on the weekend.

Mokuba hopped onto a barstool and generously helped himself to the delicious spread the chef had laid out on the counter. Kisara had never had anyone cook for her before. "I think he and Yugi are working on something." Mokuba forked bacon into his mouth and swallowed before continuing. "I heard them on the phone when I went to get a midnight snack. Probably another project, though Seto's never done one with Yugi before, except yours."

"Mine?"

"Your project. Pegasus nicknamed releasing you from the tablet 'The Kisara Project.'"

"Ah." Kisara sipped her hot tea. A project. An experiment, basically. But she wasn't just a project to Seto, right? People didn't go around kissing _projects_, did they? Surely he saw her as human…

Was she really human? Humans were born from mothers, not stone…

"Kisara? You okay?"

"Of course!" She plastered a smile on her face. Mokuba looked unconvinced. "Well… you see…" Green hair flashed in her mind's eye. "Who is Noah?"

Mokuba froze mid-chew. After a long moment, he swallowed his muffin and looked back at her, puzzled. "How do you know about Noah?"

Kisara stared into the unassuming, dark brown depths of her mug. "He… is living on my… computer?"

The uneaten half of Mokuba's muffin fell from his hand onto the table. "He's _what_?"

"I'm sorry! I should've told you sooner! I only met him last night –"

"It's okay! Just… give me a moment." Mokuba looked deep in thought, absentmindedly crumbling his dropped muffin. Blueberries stained his fingers, but he just wiped the violet smears off with a napkin, which he carelessly tossed on the counter as he stood. "Alright!" he enthused in much too chipper a tone. "Let's go say hi to Noah."

Kisara led the way to her room, pushing open the door and gazing inside. The onscreen aquarium had been replaced by a striped cat playing with yarn.

Mokuba approached the laptop and folded his arms. "I know you're there, Noah."

Seconds later, the digital boy appeared, casually pushing the kitten off-screen before taking center stage. "Hey, Mokuba."

Mokuba looked as if he couldn't decide whether he should grin or scowl. "I know we parted on pretty good terms – I mean, pretty good considering the circumstances – but you can't blame me for being a bit suspicious of you suddenly showing up after all these years."

"I'd be disappointed if you weren't." An armchair popped onscreen and Noah seated himself. "Well, what questions do you have for me?"

"How did you – what are – when –" Mokuba shook his head and tried again. "Why are you on Kisara's laptop?"

"First haven I came across when my world was about to explode. I consider myself lucky I didn't find myself trapped on some grandmother's ancient piece of crap excuse of a computer. Or on some peppy pre-teen's cell phone, God forbid."

"You… ah… You're not planning anything evil, are you?"

"...Mokuba, seriously, you should really leave the interrogating to Seto. Not that I'm trying to give you any ideas, I don't exactly want to be wiped off the hard drive if he's still holding onto a grudge from three years ago."

"Hey! I'm not that bad!"

"No comment."

"Do you want _me_ to wipe you off instead?"

"_Tch_, no need for that, Mokuba. I'm being a good boy, see? I've already set up an email account for Kisara and everything. And look, I even made a list of user-friendly sites that she should have no problem using to get acquainted to the twenty-first century. Now this is where you two 'ahhh' and applaud."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and affectionately tapped the screen, grinning. "Good to have you back, Noah."

"It's good to be back. Do you suppose it would be possible to scan in some biscotti for me?"

* * *

><p>Professor Neal Singh was a tall, clean-shaven, lanky Indian American with rimless reading glasses and deep eyes filled with wisdom beyond his young years. He wore a neat white button-up, pressed black pants, worn but polished shoes, and a watch in the shape of Power Tool Dragon. Nothing objectionable so far.<p>

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Professor," Yugi began.

Singh's voice was soft but calm. "One doesn't easily refuse an invitation from Seto Kaiba." His eyes looked to his host.

The CEO cut in before any further time-wasting small talk could commence. "I understand you and your research team are on the brink of creating the perfect human clone. Physically, at least. Some flaw renders it incapable of most basic mental functions, making it in essence a mere shell of the original."

The professor poured himself a glass of water, gazing at Seto suspiciously. "I was under the impression that information was private."

Seto leaned back and smirked. "I have my sources."

"Well, do tell me what it is you desire, Mr. Kaiba."

"Clone Yugi. This is him, in case you didn't know."

Only the slight shaking of Singh's glass gave away his shock. About the cloning, presumably, not Yugi's identity. Seto was impressed. He could completely break down hardened men decades his senior, and here Singh, who was barely five years older, was handling it much better than any of those outdated bags of wrinkles. "I'm a big fan of Duel Monsters, Mr. Kaiba, I can recognize the King of Games when I see him." Singh wasn't even breaking a sweat. "May I ask why Mr. Muto wants to be cloned?"

"You can ask, but you won't get an answer." Seto stood and walked over to his personal bar. "You're definitely concerned about this, Singh. Can't be for legal reasons, since Pennsylvania has no laws outright banning cloning, and New Jersey recently repealed laws of the like. Financial-wise, KaibaCorp has more than enough to fund this project. Your research is sound and just right for what I – well, Yugi, needs. Is it a moral concern?"

"I'm worried about what you'll be doing with the clone if we produce it for you," Singh said coolly. "Mr. Kaiba, I will not consent – which means my team will not consent, either – to working with you if you don't disclose you and Mr. Muto's reasons for wanting a clone in the first place."

Now Yami sat beside Seto, and the Pharaoh leaned forward. "Professor Singh, do you believe in magic?"

Singh neither stared in disbelief nor burst out laughing. He simply leveled his gaze at the dueling champion. "I don't believe magic exists, Mr. Muto. I _know_ it exists."

"Oh, this should be interesting," Seto muttered, helping himself to some vodka.

But Singh shrugged. "Tell me your story, and I'll tell you mine."

Judging by the gleam in Yami's eyes, he was going to have just as much fun as Seto in watching the professor stretch the limits of his sanity. "I am not Yugi. I merely share the same vessel, the same body, as him. I am called Pharaoh, Atem, most commonly Yami. This here is not just a flashy piece of jewelry, it is the Millennium Puzzle. Long story short, my soul was preserved inside it for five thousand years until Yugi solved it, and though we are both fine with sharing a body, we also realize the benefits of having separate vessels. This is where you come in."

Seto's office was silent for what felt like ages. At last, Singh responded. "I've seen weirder."

More vodka. "Do tell."

"What do you think was the reason behind the War?"

"Fawkes was a madman who wanted to take over the world. Nothing new, though he got pretty far." Damn, the bottle was empty. Brandy, then. Seto returned to his seat.

"You know the origins of Duel Monsters, don't you?" Singh removed his glasses and wiped them before replacing them. "Ancient Egypt, the Shadow Realm?"

"Let me guess, you read Pegasus' book," Seto said dryly.

"I did, but I also have more reliable sources. Anyway – surely you recall the incident a few years ago, right before the War, when monsters started coming to life?"

"Dartz," Yami murmured.

"Fawkes wanted to eradicate them, but not all the monsters were bad, and not all the people – yes people – he targeted were monsters." Singh's mouth grew even grimmer. "I've been sworn to secrecy, and all I can say is this – the Shadow Realm is not the only supernatural force around. Fawkes didn't understand this and saw the two entities as one enemy. During the War, I worked mostly with the other forces. I'll admit, I was pretty high up in the 'rebel' ladder, so I was rather exposed to magic."

Yami clasped his hands together. "You can't tell us who this other supernatural force is?"

"Nope. I'll probably be killed before I can even try. Not that they're evil or anything. They're actually quite benevolent. They just have strong reasons for wanting to preserve their secrecy, and far be it for me to be the one to betray their trust."

"And you realize the need for secrecy if you do decide to participate?" Seto leaned forward. "Not even your team can know the true reason for the clone. Feed them a lie. And not one of you can publish _any_thing about this project, _ever_. You will all be compensated for your work, but _no one_ can ever know about the clone."

To Seto's further surprise, Singh didn't argue. He'd already lasted much longer than Seto had expected. "Fine. I accept on behalf of my team."

Excellent, then. "You all start Monday." An enormous stack of paper landed on the desk with a great thud. "These will need to be signed."

Uncomplaining, Singh started sifting through the contracts, but as he did, he spoke. "Mr. Kaiba, are you an alcoholic?"

… Yami buried his face in his knees, shoulders shaking while what sounded like strangled laughter escaped him. Seto scowled at both of them and slammed his glass down on the table with an audible clunk. "_No_."

Singh took a pen from his pocket, still perusing the papers. "Hmm. Well, just a friendly warning, your girlfriend probably won't like it when she finds out, so might as well stop before the drinking gets serious."

The oh-so-dignified Pharaoh looked about ready to die from laughter. Seto glared suspiciously at Singh. "What makes you think I have a girlfriend?" Was Singh spying on him? How else would he know about Kisara?

"Mistress, lady-friend, escort, friend with benefits – regardless what you call her, there's a fairly long hair on your shirt, which, judging by its unkempt state, was probably also worn last night. In addition to that, since you called me at the wonderful hour of four in the morning, it's probably safe to say that you pulled an all-nighter."

In other words: _interrupt my beauty sleep again and I will be more than happy to expose your darkest vices using only my extraordinary powers of observation_. That Singh had some nerve. Seto could respect that. But it didn't mean he liked it, at least not when it was directed at him. "Are you by any chance a fan of Sherlock Holmes?"

"However did you guess, Mr. Kaiba?" Singh said cheerfully as he scribbled his signature on a line. "You know, I think we're off to a great start."

* * *

><p><strong>Because some of you were amused by Seto's drinking problems. ^^ And yes, I did put the US version of Domino City in New Jersey.<strong>

**The two sides of Neal Singh, what do you think? Good balance or bipolar? My real-life friend is also usually pretty quiet and well-behaved, but he can be really funny when he feels like it, and it always comes at the most surprising moments. Anyway, the chapter was supposed to end at "These will need to be signed," but after reading it over several times it didn't feel right, so I just added that last bit in. If it's too much, I'll cut it out. Opinions?**

**P.S. Reading Death Note. _I love it_. Light Yagami (protagonist) is such an interesting character...**

**Upcoming: Kisara finally meets the rest of the Geek Squad, and Marik makes his grand re-entry - and he's not alone.**

**Review please!**


	13. Many Meetings

**Many thanks to xVampirexElegancex, plenoptic, hopelessmine, miaou5, biskittins, lesnuitsdhiver, MackenzieMedica, June yee, Cloisenne, and Harya for reviewing, and to midorimoon, TwilightSagamaniac, Shikamaru4Hotage, and ScarletKitty for alerting/faving!**

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><p><em>Be careful what you wish for.<em>

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><p>Thirteen: Many Meetings<p>

With Monday morning came many meetings. Seto had been pressed on both fronts – by what he called "The Geek Squad" and by Kisara herself – to arrange for her to meet everyone who knew about her existence and had been eager to talk with her for weeks. And Kisara was fairly curious about seeing them, too, and had been looking forward to the meeting.

But being stared at by four boys was pretty awkward.

"So this is almost the entire gang – I mean, you've met the girls, Tea and Serenity and Mai and Rebecca –"

She couldn't help it. Yugi was making conversation and she knew it was rude not to be looking him in the eye, but – _Ra_, his hair! How did it stand up like that?

"– but there's still Duke, Duke Devlin, he would be here with us but we weren't allowed to tell him about you, even though he knows about magic, because Kaiba was already pretty upset that so many people knew about you already –"

Ryou – though the others called him Bakura – also had interesting hair. It was white like hers but a lot messier, and he was almost as pale as her, too. It made her feel a lot better about her own coloring, which had always marked her as a target of hostility in her time.

"– I'm sure we'll be allowed to tell him about you soon, though, it wouldn't be fair to exclude him from the gang –"

Joey's blond hair wasn't out of the ordinary. Also a bit messy, but that appeared to be normal for boys today. Tristan's brown hair wasn't as eye-catching as Yugi or Ryou's, but Kisara had to admit that it was kind of pointy.

"– The Ishtars, Ishizu, Marik, and Odion, also helped release you from the tablet, but they're back in Egypt now, though they said they wanted to come back and meet you. My grandpa will come along soon, and there's also Pegasus, if he's still in town…"

"Unfortunately," Seto said stiffly, distracting Kisara from her analysis of the boys' hairstyles. "I'm trying to fend him off for as long as possible, but once he finds out that you all have met Kisara, there'll be no stopping him."

"Pegasus?" Kisara asked.

"Maximillion Pegasus. He invented Duel Monsters and he helped with your project." Kisara mentally cringed at Seto's careless use of the word. But why was she flinching? It was just another new word she'd learned…

"First-class creeper, too," Joey added.

Kisara furrowed her brow. Creeper?

"Try to stay away from him," Seto clarified. He checked his watch and scowled. "They're late."

"Who's late?" Tristan asked.

Yugi rolled his eyes playfully. "Remember, I told you about the… cloning?"

Ryou looked puzzled, but Joey and Tristan nodded eagerly. "So who'd ya get to help out?" Joey asked Yugi eagerly.

Yugi glanced at Tristan, wincing slightly. "You remember Miho…" Tristan's eyes widened before looking down. "She's on a research team. The head is Professor Neal Singh. Kaiba and I met him on Saturday."

"Neal?" Joey's face lit up. "He's a real cool guy! Can't believe ya got him!"

Yugi blinked. "You know him?"

"Yeah, we worked together durin' the War," Joey bragged.

Seto smirked. "Yes, how heroic of you to be the water boy, Wheeler."

Joey's face reddened. "Hey, I'll have ya know I did fight –"

But Seto ignored him and turned to Yugi. "We should head over to KaibaCorp now. Hopefully they'll show up soon and prove to be more competent in their work than in their ability to arrive punctually."

Yugi nodded and smiled apologetically at his friends, waving goodbye to Kisara before following Seto out the living room. But in the split second before Seto exited through the door, he glanced back at Kisara, a smile flickering across his face so fast that she could've imagined it, and then they both were gone.

"Why, dat Kaiba… I did fight, ya know. Maybe I wasn' a soldier, but at least I was doin' somethin'."

Kisara's voice timidly rose above Joey's muttering. "Maybe it's good you weren't a soldier?" The three remaining boys stared at her. "I mean… you don't look like a killer, Joey…"

Joey bit his lip, looking uncertainly at his hands before glancing back at Kisara and smiling. "Thanks. Guess dat's a compliment, huh?" Kisara nodded, smiling gently.

Ryou still looked confused. "What is this cloning thing with Yugi and Kaiba?"

"Yugi and Yami are gonna try to get separate bodies, and since your other half didn' do too well with magic, they're tryin' clonin'." The white-haired boy looked deep in thought. Joey turned to Tristan. "Hey, buddy, ya haven' said anythin' in a while. Dis 'bout Miho?"

"No! I'm over her! That was just a high school crush." Tristan crossed his arms sullenly. "I'm actually pretty glad she didn't like me back. It wasn't worth it."

Kisara blinked, completely lost. Joey kindly explained. "Tristan had dis _HUGE_ crush on Miho –" The blond dodged as his friend tried to tackle him. "– bought her presents and followed her around and everythin', but –" Joey dramatically sighed as he ducked under Tristan's arm. "It wasn' meant to be."

Tristan finally managed to pin Joey down. "I am so going to –"

"Sorry we're late! Traffic." Tea and Serenity burst into the room. Tea smiled at Kisara. "Done talking to the guys? Mai's waiting for us at the mall. Let's get you away from all this… testosterone." She wrinkled her nose at the two scuffling boys, who stopped to protest her underlying accusation but only received laughs in response as the three girls exited the room.

* * *

><p>The hot Egyptian sun beat down on Marik's back as he raced across the desert on his motorcycle, wind whipping against his helmet-covered face. Sometimes he rode over to the next town to run errands for Ishizu. Sometimes he rode over to the city to have some fun. Sometimes he rode to the Valley to keep an eye on things. And sometimes he just rode around for the heck of it.<p>

Today was a free day, and the instant Marik had learned Ishizu didn't have any tasks for him, he'd hopped on his bike and sped off before she could change her mind. Sure, he was probably wasting gas, but the motorcycle was the only thing he really asked for these days. Besides, Egypt had plenty of oil, it wasn't going anywhere.

Well, he also asked for clubbing. Speaking of which, when was the next time he could go? The rest of the week was going to be slow and the girls over there were sure to be missing him –

He spotted someone frantically waving their arms, standing by the side of the road. A stranded tourist? He drove closer and immediately thanked Ra that his helmet was hiding the wide grin now on his face.

It was a very, very cute tourist.

Curvy and toned, the girl who couldn't be more than two years younger than himself still had fair skin, which meant she hadn't been in the country for long. Long red hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and intense, dark green eyes conveyed her gratitude to him.

Dear Ra, she was gorgeous.

Marik removed his helmet and hopped off the motorcycle. "Need some help?"

"Yes, please, could you tell me where the nearest town or village is?"

Marik pointed. "It'll take at least an hour's walk. I'm heading there myself, let me take you."

"Oh, I couldn't impose –"

"It's the least I can do." He flashed a winning smile and watched in satisfaction as she blushed prettily. Yeah, he still got it. "And not a lot of people come by on this road. I might be your last chance for a ride in a while."

She looked determined to save some dignity from being a damsel in distress, though. "At least let me pay you back."

He got back on the bike and patted the seat behind him. "You can start by telling me your name."

She smirked as she sat behind him. "Really smooth, aren't you?"

"Obviously." Marik handed her the helmet. "_I insist_," he added upon seeing her about to shake her head. Ishizu would be so pleased to see him being so gentlemanly.

The girl rolled her eyes but accepted the helmet with a smile. "My name is Thea." At his nudging, she wrapped her arms around his middle, and he took off, though much slower than his usual speed since he was helmetless this time.

"So, Thea, how'd you get stuck in the middle of the desert like that?"

Her voice was muffled from the headgear. "Asshole boyfriend – now ex – and my own epic stupidity."

"Your boyfriend left you in the desert?" Any farther out and that would've been a death sentence for her.

"He got in a fight earlier, got hurt, and had to go to the hospital. Nothing life-threatening but still required a trip. We were in his jeep and got in an argument about it, because honestly, the reason for the fight was ridiculous. I got out and told him I'd walk the rest of the way by myself, and he told me I was insane. I guess I should have stayed with him, but at the time I refused to listen to him and he was kind of bleeding, so he had to go."

Pathetic loser didn't deserve a goddess like her. "Why didn't he just, I don't know, throw you over his shoulder and force you back in the jeep?"

"Besides the fact I probably would've kicked him in the crotch, he was also injured."

"Sounds like he was trying his best to get you back in the car. Maybe you should tell him you're okay." And then officially break up with him, in case turning his back on her in the middle of the desert hadn't been clear enough for either party.

"I will, but we were already going to break up, anyway. But I was being really stupid, I'll admit that." Thea paused for a second. "I'm sorry, I'm dumping this sob story on you. You must think I'm terrible."

"It's okay, I asked first."

"No, I mean… any other girl would've just gotten back in the jeep, right?"

"Well, if I were your boyfriend, I would've made you get back in, injured or not, regardless of any… personal danger." He had a feeling this girl wasn't just a pretty-face. She could probably do some serious damage if she put her mind to it.

Thea laughed quietly. "Thanks… um, sorry, what's your name?"

"Marik Ishtar, at your service."

"No, no, no, Mr. Ishtar, I am in your eternal debt for saving me from dying horribly in the desert."

Marik grinned. "Okay, then if you're really breaking up with your boyfriend, have lunch with me."

"Ooh, lady-killer."

He chuckled. "Exactly. So where are you going to stay, if not with your boyfriend?"

"I'll find another place. We were actually on our way to the hotel, since we just arrived, so I have all my stuff here." Thea reached behind and patted her backpack.

"You could always stay at my house. I'm sure my sister won't mind."

"Oh, come on, you've already saved me from being stranded –"

"It's no problem, really!"

"But you don't even know me! How can you just ask a random stranger to stay at your house?"

"You don't know me, either, but here you are on my bike and about to eat lunch with me."

"Like you said yourself, the other option was walking, and I need to start paying you back."

"Aw, it's not because I'm irresistible?"

"Try again, pal."

Their playful bantering stopped upon reaching Marik's village, but once they'd sat down at his favorite café, they began casually chatting.

Thea stirred her cold drink with a straw. "My family…? I live in the States with my relatives. My parents died when I was little."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I barely knew them. And I get to live with my cousin. She's fifteen and the sweetest little thing in the entire world. How's your family?"

"My parents are dead, too. I live with my sister, Ishizu, and my adoptive brother, Odion."

"What do you all do for a living?"

"Eh, we help keep an eye on the tombs in the Valleys."

"That's so cool! All my uncle does is this security company thing." Thea made a face.

"So… how old are you?"

"Just turned eighteen. You look about nineteen, am I right?"

"Yup." Marik watched as Thea nibbled on a piece of pita bread, observing the people bustling down the road.

Most of the women he met were from the city, because he knew full well from observation that men who compromised local girls would have their fathers after their blood. So Marik hopped on over to the city, clubbed, danced, flirted, made out, and sometimes went home with one of them. He was at the best time of his life, might as well make use of it.

Thea was different. Very different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew he'd definitely never met a girl like her before. There was just something about her.

A familiar voice called out his name questioningly. "Marik?"

He looked up and smiled. "Hey, Ishizu." He turned back to Thea. "This is my sister. Ishizu, Thea. Thea, Ishizu."

"It's nice to meet you." Thea offered her hand.

Ishizu shook it, but there was a puzzled expression on her face. "Good afternoon."

"Ishizu, would it be okay for Thea to stay with us for a bit?"

His sister's brow furrowed. Slowly, she asked, "How long?"

"A week," Thea said sheepishly. "I don't want to intrude, I can find someplace else."

"Excuse me for a moment. Marik, may I speak with you?" Ishizu and her brother drew out of earshot from the redhead. "What are you thinking?" Ishizu hissed.

"What do you mean, what am I thinking? Thea's a nice girl, she needs a place to stay, we have an extra room."

"You don't even know her!"

"Yes, I do! She lives with relatives in the States, she has a cousin, her uncle –"

"_Marik_." Ishizu narrowed her eyes. "When did you meet her?"

"Erm, about an hour ago, but that's no –"

"And _how_ did you meet her?"

"I picked her up in the desert after her jerk of a boyfriend left her there." Ishizu raised an eyebrow. "She said the two of them had an argument and that she walked away first and refused to listen, but he should've tried harder –"

"First of all, only a completely senseless person would intentionally strand themselves in the desert, no matter how terrible their 'boyfriend' is."

"Thea isn't an idiot!"

"And that brings me to my second point. Have you ever considered maybe she's _lying_? You know very well that the Pharaoh has enemies, and his enemies are our enemies."

"Does she look like a killer to you?" Marik gestured wildly. "She's the most amazing girl I've ever met and you're going to scare her off!" Ishizu paused. "Please, sis, I really like her. She's so different!"

Ishizu buried her face in her hands. "Stop making this difficult for me, Marik! I can't let you invite every other attractive tourist into our home, especially when they just appear out of nowhere with a weak excuse of a backstory!"

"You're the one who believes in fate, Ishizu. What if Thea and I are supposed to be together? What if this is my only chance for happiness and you ruin it?"

"Don't you dare use that against me, Marik Ishtar! If you're so worried about your destiny, there are plenty of hotels in the city with plenty of room for her. There is something… _off_, about that girl, and she is not coming into my house." Ishizu turned her back on him and walked away.

Marik's jaw dropped as he stared at his sister, disappearing into the crowd. Ishizu, the hospitable, wonderful hostess, was going to let Thea stay in the streets because Ishizu had an "off" feeling? He couldn't believe this! Why couldn't his sister see how important this was for him?

Fine. Whatever. He'd help Thea find another place to stay.

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><p><strong>I'm going to be keeping mum about this chapter. Kinda want to hear what you all have to say first.<strong>

**Anyways - 100 review mark, woot! ^^ Thank you so much for all your support, everyone! Couldn't have gone this far without all of you!**

**But, now some not-so-woot things. As most of you know, school is starting up soon, and since I'm completely loaded with difficult, mind-crushing, back-breaking classes this year, I probably won't be able to keep up with my 3-day updates. :( My best guess for updates this school year is about once a week - of course, this is liable to change once I get a sense of what my classes are really like, but assume that's how it's going to be from now on.**

**It was a great summer, though! I started writing fanfiction again, I started loving Yu-Gi-Oh again, I went places, I made some new friends (in real life and on this site), and... I read Death Note. XD Thank you all for sticking with me this far, and to my fellow students, I hope you have a great school year!**

**Upcoming: Remember Seto's "taste of insanity" back in Chapter Six or so? Yeah, it's Kisara's turn coming up.**

**Review please!**


	14. There Will Come Soft Rains

**Many thanks to Aqua girl 007, TeresaShiho, plenoptic, biskittins, Harya, Meowth That's Write, hopelessmine, MackenzieMedica, miaou5, Cloisenne, anonymous, and Magdalene Thorne for reviewing and to camiraven for faving!**

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><p><em>You are only as strong as your weakest thought.<em>

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><p>Fourteen: There Will Come Soft Rains<p>

"This one?"

"No. Trolls."

"This one?"

"No. Morons."

"This one?"

"No. Democrats." Democrats? What was that supposed to mean? Kisara stared at Noah, waiting for him to explain. "It's a political thing." She narrowed her eyes. "You want details, fine, geeze. Democrats are one of two major political parties in the country, political parties basically being groups of people who throw insults at each other and puff themselves up as they try to get one of their party members voted into the presidency, which is the most sought after seat of power in the United States."

Kisara flashed a winning smile at Noah. "Thank you. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

The green-haired boy made a face and dove back into the Web, filtering through the hordes of idiotic forums on the internet in search of worthwhile articles about whatever Kisara wanted to learn more about at the moment, which was currently cloning.

Kisara drank in the essay onscreen, periodically opening and closing dictionaries and textbooks whenever she came across an unfamiliar term or concept, which was more often than she liked. But modern science had come a long way from "everything's up to the gods, don't question them," and if it weren't for Seto tutoring her and Noah helping out, she would be completely lost.

"Hey, this isn't about cloning, but I think you'll find it interesting." Noah replaced the essay with a collection of news articles, most of them dating back from a few months ago to three years.

_Fawkes takes over White House, president under arrest_

_ Masses accuse Fawkes of beginning military dictatorship, White House silent_

_ US troops on foreign soil without governments' permission_

_ Former allies declare war on US upon growing dissent_

_UN pressures Seto Kaiba for old KaibaCorp weaponry, Kaiba refuses_

_ Fawkes demands KaibaCorp weaponry, bitter fight with Seto Kaiba ensues_

_ Draft age lowered to fourteen, deadly protests nationwide_

_Rebellions organize in DC and California_

_ Series of natural disasters, soldiers and civilians report supernatural sightings_

_ Fawkes killed, world leaders sign treaty in Athens_

"What… what is this?"

Noah seated himself on the tool bar and looked at Kisara in confusion. "No one told you about World War III?"

"Why is – World War III? I thought there were only two."

"Most history books haven't gotten around to adding it yet."

"And… and Seto? What was he doing?"

"Keeping dirty government hands off of KaibaCorp war machinery that's been in storage, and I believe bribing Mokuba's way out of the draft."

"Mokuba's _what_?"

"Mokuba was drafted, meaning it was mandatory for him to join the military. Story got leaked out and people speculated that he was specifically chosen in an attempt to force Seto to hand over the war arms, but Seto was lucky enough to find a sympathetic ear in the White House – as long as he got paid for his sympathy, of course."

"But – fourteen! Children! I don't – this is…"

"If it makes you feel better, the draft age was raised back up not long after it was changed in the first place. Even Fawkes' fellow military nutcases realized how stupid it was and repealed it. No kids were drafted."

"This is insane! Why are people killing each other? Doesn't anyone know that there are bigger problems to deal with?"

"Like what?"

"Like… like…" She rattled off all the issues she'd been reading about. "Diseases, crime, the environment – monsters, the Shadow Realm! You know what the Shadow Realm is, right?" It had been common knowledge in her time, but it looked like not as many people knew about it today.

"Uh-huh." A forum – one that apparently had Noah's approval – popped up. "Pegasus' book is pretty popular. Not to mention there was an issue with Duel Monsters coming to life a while back…"

Kisara clicked on the link to a photo gallery and was immediately met with the photograph of a large stone tablet, on which a very familiar beast was carved. Neck gracefully arched, sharp claws raised, powerful wings ready for flight, a single visible eye staring straight at her. It was in the exact same position on Seto's Duel Monsters card. Kisara's mind colored the stone image for her, and she could almost see her dragon breathing, blinking, growling, tensing for battle –

She cried out when she felt a piercing pain in the back of her eyes, throbbing, agony rising from the recesses of her mind. Red haze clouded her vision as a horrible golden Eye loomed over her. Icy, invisible claws sank into her chest, where that dark, sacrificial blast had stricken her so long ago, and _his_ terrible laughter echoed in her head. A second voice joined the awful merriment, deeper and gruffer than the first but just as grating on her ears, and soon the two became one, surrounding her on all sides, pressing against her, suffocating her, choking her –

"Kisara! _Kisara_!" Noah was pounding his fists against his side of the computer screen, watching with no little fright as she lifted her head, tear tracks staining her cheeks. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Black spots danced across her eyes. Her head started pounding even harder than before. "I'm… I'm okay… I…" _Get some air_. "I need to go."

"Kisa –"

Kisara tore out of the room, stumbling on the carpeting in the hallway. All her thumping attracted the attention of one of the maids. "Miss Kisara, are you –"

Shivers crept across her spine, and her fingers dug into the carpet. _Ignore her, keep moving, get out, get out, get out_. White-hot pain blinded her, and she ignored the maid and stumbled down the stairs, almost falling down the last few. She somehow found her way out of the house, all the while trying to erase the red – the white – the black – the haze from her vision.

The floodgates were yanked open, and she almost doubled over again. Broken bodies. Blood on her hands. Burning villages, screaming slavers, blinding blue light, dragon roaring – "It's not my fault, it's not, I didn't mean to, no, no, nononono!"

Seto, broken, blue eyes empty and dead but somehow still accusing her. _Why didn't you save me?_

"I'm trying, I want to – _I'm sorry_!" She fell onto her knees and wept. "Help me… please…"

_Who am I?_

An orphan, abandoned, a pariah, a beggar, a young girl, loved, with friends, anything she wanted at her disposal.

_What am I?_

A heartless murderer, a child who couldn't stand the sight of blood.

_Why me?_

"What's happening to me?"

The emptiness inside her was growing. She felt so cold.

So, so cold… No more running…

Droplets of water were falling from the sky. She barely had enough sense of mind to crawl under some sheltering eaves, watching tiredly as it started to storm. She just wanted to forget. Everything. Let go completely. Be free from it all. But a tiny part of her was desperate to hold on, somehow, someway, whatever it took. And as she watched the rain fall, that tiny part latched onto not a memory or dream or song, but a poem that she had happened across the other day, which Seto had read for her the first time around.

He made it sound like music…

"_There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, and swallows circling with their shimmering sound_…"

Lightning flashing across the sky. Storm was getting bigger. Her people said lightning was because of the god Seth. In Greece, across the Sea, they would've said Zeus. But of course, the people today knew better. Something about heat. Gods don't exist, they said. Who was she to argue?

"_And frogs in the pools singing at night, and wild plum trees in tremulous white_…"

The Eye, why had she seen a vision of the Eye? Why had she heard _his_ laughter… Did this mean he was back? She trembled at the thought of _him_, watching, waiting, biding his time, ready to strike at the most opportune moment. If it came to that, could she save Seto again? Would she die for him again? She would die a thousand times for Seto. But that also meant breaking his heart a thousand times. Not even someone as strong as him could withstand the pain. She knew she wouldn't be able to, not even once.

"_Robins will wear their feathery fire, whistling their whims on a low fence-wire_…"

And a second voice. She'd never heard it before, but there must be a reason why it had been in her head, even though she wished she'd heard neither. She curled in on herself, but unlike times past, her dragon wasn't there to ease her mind. Was it so much to ask for her dragon back? It had been her truest companion for her entire life. What did she have to give up for it? Her time in the tablet had been dark and still, but she remembered her dragon. It had been in there with her, faithfully staying by her side until it was called to protect those she loved - and had left behind.

"_And not one will know of the war, not one, will care at last when it is done_…"

Perhaps she should have stayed in the tablet. She had been so happy all these weeks, spending time with Seto, time with Mokuba, with Tea, Serenity, Mai… Rebecca… recently Yugi and Joey and Tristan and Ryou… even Noah, beneath all that sarcasm and cynicism… But maybe that happiness had come with a price. Could she live without her dragon? Could she live without her friends…? Without Seto? Could she live _with_ the memory of the vision of the Eye and the laughter, carrying it with her for the rest of her life, dreading it until the day she once again encountered her worst nightmare?

"_Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree, if mankind perished utterly_…"

What time was it? Were they searching for her? It was so dark, still raining. She'd been out here so long, Mokuba and Seto should be home by now. Must be worried sick… Poor Noah, trapped in her computer, no way to look for her… Should go apologize… Soaked through, so cold… Rest a little bit first… Few more minutes…

"_And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn, would scarcely know… that we… were… gone_…"

She had to find her dragon, it had to be somewhere… In this world, in the Shadow Realm… She would find it. Somehow. With her friends by her side. She didn't want to give up either one of them. Maybe she would have to. She didn't want to, though. She didn't want to choose. Besides, if that vision was an omen, then she would need all the support she could get, from Seto and her dragon and her friends, in the days to come.

Oh… She was flying, she was getting higher, the sky was coming closer. Or maybe someone was just picking her up. That might be it. They were warm. Felt nice. Getting closer. Much better. No more rain. She was lying on something soft. Dry. But she was so tired. Couldn't move even if she wanted to. Couldn't even open her eyes…

An icy gale woke her up, though, and Kisara found herself shivering on a stone floor. Shakily, she got to her feet and looked warily around the shadowy chamber. Light shone from the end of the corridor. Was it a trap? She glanced behind her and saw only pitch-black darkness. No way was she going in there. Lights it was.

Though she was barefoot, every step she took seemed to echo deafeningly in her ear, no matter how quietly she tried to walk. She still had no idea how she'd gotten here, and she couldn't be too careful in this situation.

Kisara peered around the corner and saw another chamber, more brightly-lit than the one behind her. Her eyes widened. She recognized that artwork on the walls! Egyptian! She moved forward to get a closer look.

A baby born abnormally pale, to the shock of her parents. Placed in a woven basket, set in the river at the mercy of the gods. Rescued by a wizened old woman, raised for a few years. Then the slavers came, killed the woman, locked the unusual-looking young girl in a cage. An escape when their backs were turned, wandered the desert for a while before being recaptured. Saved by a young boy, brown-haired and blue-eyed, rode away on his horse while he disappeared. Tried to earn a wage by using the horse for work, only to attract the attention of different slavers who sold her to a noble's house.

Cruel wives, harsh masters, scraps to eat, such was her life for many years until finally she was sold to a noble in the Pharaoh's city. And there – the boy, no, now a grown man, a High Priest! Saved her again! But Kisara knew the unhappy ending that came after, so she skipped ahead.

Waiting in a tablet for many, many centuries, until _he_ saved her yet again. A trio of girls with brown, blond, and red hair, a mischievous boy with shaggy black hair… and _him_. Then the pale girl, fleeing into the woods, half-blind with horror, caught in a storm, and – what happened after that?

Kisara turned and noticed for the first time that the chamber was not empty. Ten sarcophaguses lined the room, their lids not yet placed. Morbid fascination rising, she approached them.

A piercing shriek escaped her mouth as she stared, horrified, at the bandages wrapping themselves around a very still Ryou Bakura, his once-soulful brown eyes empty and staring blankly at nothing.

Kisara spun around, watching as the invisible hands steadily mummified them all – Tristan, Joey, Yugi. Rebecca. Tea, Mai, Serenity. Mokuba. And – and – and –

"_SETO_!" Her knees scraped against the floor as she threw herself at his sarcophagus, desperately grabbing at the bandages, yanking them away from his body, but the more she fought against the invisible workers, the more frequently the bandages appeared and wound themselves even faster around him. "_NO_! No, no, no, no, no!" Black slime began to spread from her hands onto her skin, like ink bleeding on parchment, and a wordless scream rang in her ears as the black seeped into her vision.

"_Kisara_!"

"Stop it, stop!"

"KISARA!"

Her eyes flew open and stared at Seto, who was leaning over her and trying to shake her awake. Seto! She reached out and touched his cheek, making sure he was real and alive. Could she dare hope it was just a dream? His own hand covered hers as he looked worriedly at her.

Her head turned to the side, taking in her surroundings. She was in her room, on her bed. There was no chamber lit by torches. There were no sarcophaguses. There were no friends of hers about to become mummies.

"Where's Mokuba? And Tea, and Mai, and Serenity, and –"

"Kisara, calm down. Everyone is okay. It's you that we've all been worried about the past few days."

"I – what?"

"I found you in the woods three days ago, in the rain. You were sick and you've been in bed all this time." And Kisara found herself engulfed in Seto's arms. "God, I thought you were going to die."

She buried her face in the front of his shirt, breathing in his scent. That dream, that horrible nightmare, was starting to become just a bad memory. But that empty spot in her heart, it was still there, even colder than before, it felt like. "I'm sorry."

He pulled back. "What were you doing out there, anyway? You should've come back in as soon as you saw it was raining."

"I was… upset."

"Yeah, I could see that," Seto said wryly. "Why were you upset?"

Kisara's head was hurting slightly and her chest ached, but she sifted through her memories, trying to recall what happened. She saw the photo of her dragon's tablet, of her former prison, had the vision, ran out… "It's kind of complicated."

"Try me."

Kisara took a deep breath. She needed to think over her vision some more later, when she wasn't sick or terrified out of her wits. Besides, there wasn't anything Seto could do about it except worry, and he had plenty on his mind these days. But there was one other thought she had latched onto, from when she'd been sitting in the rain, one thought that stood out clearly in her mind. "Seto… I want to find my dragon."

"You want to what?"

"I don't feel it inside me anymore, I told you that. But it has to be somewhere! It couldn't have just disappeared from the face of the Earth."

"Kisara, what if the Blue Eyes is gone because you left the tablet?"

Her brow furrowed. "My dragon is still inside the tablet?"

"I doubt it."

"Oh. No matter. It still has to be somewhere. You'll help me look for it, won't you?" she asked eagerly.

Seto smiled wearily but sincerely. "Of course."

Kisara rested her chin on Seto's shoulder, eyelids drooping – only for her to stiffen and stare at a single black spot on the palm of her hand.

* * *

><p><strong>No offense intended toward Democrats. Noah said it, not me. ^_^<strong>

**Raaahhhhhhh, school T~T... The past week has not been pretty. Ick. I swear, the homework's been tripled since last year, and almost my entire schedule is comprised of AP courses. :P**

**But I'm so happy to be updating again! Makes me feel kinda normal-ish. Here we have the "title" chapter. If you haven't already looked it up, "There Will Come Soft Rains" is a poem by Sara Teasdale, and it's one of the most beautiful and chilling things I've ever read.**

**I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing, didn't give you a headache reading it or anything. But Kisara's thoughts _are _in turmoil, so I chopped and tossed the sentences to kinda match the atmosphere (?). Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!**

**Manga of the moment: Ouran High School Host Club. VERY different from Death Note, hehe.**

**Upcoming: More Ishtar family drama (life threatening!). And more Kaiba family drama (also life threatening!). And - oh. Wait. No more families. 'Kay that's it for the life-threatening family dramas. XD**

**Review please!**


	15. Too Perfect

**Thanks so much to xVampirexElegancex, lesnuitsdhiver, miaou5, IWishSan, plenoptic, MackenzieMedica, NitratesTrot, Meowth That's Write, biskittins, hopelessmine, Cloisenne, and veille for reviewing and to Abril Moon Shields, Tenchi Simca, In Stiches, and linkrin for alerting/faving!**

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><p><em>Embrace the struggle.<em>

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><p>Fifteen: Too Perfect<p>

He was still mad at her… With a heavy sigh, Ishizu glanced at the backseat, where Marik was sulking, watching the endless desert pass by. "You're still upset with me."

Marik only nodded jerkily.

"Marik, even if I'd let her stay in our home, she still would have left at the same time yesterday."

No response.

That Thea girl… She'd given Ishizu chills, but Ishizu couldn't place her finger on the reason why. In the few moments they'd spoken, Ishizu had noticed how perfect Thea's manners were, how perfect she looked, how perfect her speech was, how perfectly harmless she appeared. No one was that perfect. Something was wrong.

But Marik was already in too deep. All Ishizu could hope for was for Thea to never show up again, for Marik to move on, and for the redheaded girl to remain only a distant memory.

Odion stopped the car at the familiar temple of the stone tablets. They all stepped out, Ishizu holding the Millennium Spellbook, carefully wrapped in soft cloth. Out of curiosity, the three of them had studied the legendary tome, filing the various spells away in the backs of their minds should a day ever come when need for them would arise. But seeing how costly even the simplest charm was, Ishizu prayed that day would never arrive.

Today, the Spellbook would be returned to its resting place. Odion had offered to carry out the fairly simple task and only one person was needed for it, but Ishizu was curious to see where exactly the Spellbook's hiding place had been, so well hidden that generations of Tomb Keepers had been unable to find it. And she also wanted to keep a close eye on Marik and make sure he didn't do anything stupid, like try to follow Thea to the United States. Her brother could be very determined when he put his mind to it.

Their feet quietly tread on the ancient stone floor, drifting past the captured, frozen images of monsters. As she was wont to do each time she visited the sacred site, Ishizu paused before the tablet of the Mystical Elf, gazing at the carved caricature of the unearthly beauty whom both she and her past life had so favored. _Who gave up their soul for her, I wonder?_

The deeper they ventured into the temple, the more prized and valuable the monsters on the tablets became. The pharaohs' most beloved servants were kept closer to the heart of the sanctuary, and Ishizu paid her respects also to the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

The Necklace had once shown her how heartbroken Mana had become after her master Mahad's demise, and eventually she, too, sacrificed her soul to protect the future pharaohs. Now master and apprentice were immortalized, standing side by side for all eternity. As she passed them, she heard distant laughter – a childish girl's lighthearted giggles and a solemn man's rare, quiet laughs.

And, last but not least, the white dragon. As one of the last pharaohs to participate in the Shadow Games, it was not surprising that Pharaoh Seto's most cherished, most powerful monster was given the place of honor. But Pegasus had told them that the Blue Eyes' tablet was not the last of the hall's treasures. Facing the stone slab's left, next to the Dark Magician, was a narrow crevice, wide enough only for one's hand to reach in. Hidden in the shadows was a panel that, when pressed, would reveal the pedestal on which the Spellbook was supposed to rest.

"Be careful, Odion." Marik's voice echoed as their older brother stepped forward and reached into the crevice. Odion's arm slowly moved up and down, searching, until suddenly he leaned forward, and they heard the quiet rumbling of stone grating against stone.

They grinned triumphantly, and Odion held out his hands for the Spellbook, which Ishizu handed over with a smile. Several paces behind them, a section of the floor opened, and a gleaming, golden pedestal rose, glistening in what little sunlight made it this far into the temple. Odion walked over to the dais, and Ishizu faced Marik to remark how she wondered Pegasus had found the panel when their ancestors hadn't, only for her younger brother to turn his back on her and cross his arms. Ishizu shook her head and sighed, but then something caught her eye.

The Blue Eyes' tablet. She and her brothers had personally replaced it several weeks ago. But right now something about it looked… off. It was still the same size. Same color. Same material. Same image. It looked pristine. Untouched. Unspoiled. Perfect.

Too perfect.

It almost looked new, but that was impossible, because… Ishizu's eyes widened. "Odion, _STOP_!"

She heard the soft thud of the Spellbook touching the pedestal and, with a sinking feeling, knew it was too late. She spun around and was met with a horrifying sight. Shadowy black tendrils of darkness snaked out from the yellowed pages of the book and instantly wrapped themselves around Odion. Around his wrists, around his arms, around his legs, around his torso, around his neck.

Ishizu and Marik raced forward and seized their brother, commencing a deadly game of tug-of-war with the darkness. The shadowy tendrils forced Odion's head closer and closer to the Spellbook, which was now drenched in the same, ethereal black substance.

One of the tendrils captured Ishizu's wrist, and she hissed as she felt like it had just slapped her with stinging ice. The darkness stole the heat from her skin and made her feel like her arm was slowly withering, life fleeing from her very body. She heard Marik cry out in alarm as one of the tendrils snaked around his ankle.

Just as Odion's face was about to touch the cover of the Spellbook, a strong gale tore into the hall, whirling around the three siblings. For a moment, Ishizu could imagine not the wind but invisible arms wrapping around her and her brothers, helping them pull Odion away. With a shout, all three of them broke free and skidded across the floor, the dark tendrils shrieking in pain and shrinking away from the glowing stone tablets.

Then the shadows disappeared. The light disappeared. The pedestal rapidly sank into the floor and was sealed once more. Sunlight crept into the temple again, and Ishizu and her brothers breathed hard as they stared at where the dais once stood. Ishizu looked at her wrist, but there was no sign that the shadow had ever touched her.

Odion was in worse shape than her and Marik, but he would be fine. They helped him stand, and as they trudged out of the temple, Marik finally spoke his first words to his sister in days. "Ishizu, how did you know that was going to happen?"

"I didn't know _that_ exactly would happen," Ishizu said as they stepped outside, under the full force of the sun. "But I saw something that made me realize something was wrong."

"What was it?"

"The Blue Eyes' tablet. It's fake. Someone's stolen the real one." Instinct told her that the theft had something to do with a certain white-haired girl currently residing in Domino City. And however much she wished otherwise this time, her instinct was rarely wrong.

* * *

><p>Singh peered over his glasses at Yugi, who was getting his blood pressure measured by Miho Nosaka, before looking back down at his clipboard. "Yugi Muto, Japanese descent, blood type AB," the professor muttered. "Height 163 centimeters, or about five foot four inches, weight fifty kilograms, or about 110 pounds."<p>

"Add about half a foot in height for the clone," Seto suggested.

"Hey, if I have to be short, then so should –"

"Yugi, calm down, you're throwing your blood pressure off," Miho cautioned. Yugi made a face but complied, and Miho smiled at him, which he wearily returned.

Singh made a note. "Clone height plus six inches, or about fifteen centimeters. Which means the clone's weight will increase by about… twenty pounds, or about nine kilograms, in order to keep a healthy body mass. A few growth hormones should be no problem."

The professor and his team had developed a key chemical that, though not yet tested, had a 97.89% guarantee of creating a more successful clone where others failed. This chemical, kept under heavy surveillance in the most secure vault of KaibaCorp's labs, was called the Gemini Solution, which in turn led to the cloning project being called The Gemini Experiment. Seto wasn't sure who kept naming all his projects, because it certainly wasn't him.

Also in the lab was a water-filled incubator, kept at exactly thirty-eight degrees Celsius, just above human body temperature. Soon, living in the tank would be an embryo-like object that would in a matter of weeks develop into a life-sized clone. At first, Singh had planned for the cloned embryo to be injected in a surrogate mother to be birthed in nine months, like how animal clones were created, but when he realized Yugi wanted his clone to be the same age as him, he nixed that idea, and so the incubator tank was born, like something out of a sci-fi movie.

While Miho packed up her kit, Yugi – no, Yami now, joined Seto by the incubator and looked uneasily at the water. "I'm not going to wake up one day and find myself floating around in there, am I?"

"The clone will most likely be removed before you move in." The plan Yugi had to transfer Yami's soul into the clone was incredibly simple. Just place the Millennium Puzzle around the clone's neck and wait for Yami to take over the empty body. It was so simple, Seto had a hard time believing it would actually work, even though in theory it should.

Bakura once mentioned how during Duelist Kingdom, when Mokuba's soul was stolen by Pegasus, his darker half had considered moving into Mokuba's then-soulless body. The only reasons why his darker half hadn't gone through were because he'd decided Mokuba's body was too young, and he didn't have the time. The story had made Seto strongly tempted to throttle Bakura, even though the harmless boy hadn't been the one at fault, but from an objective standpoint, he could see how helpful the tale would be to the project.

Seto's phone rang, and he answered. "Kaiba."

The thinly-veiled panic in Roland's voice alarmed Seto. "Mr. Kaiba, sir, there's been an accident! Master Mokuba is in the hospital."

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><p><em>I'm honored that you requested my aid, and I'd be thrilled to help with this search of yours! I'll do some research on my end on the Blue Eyes, and you just sit tight. Ta-ta!<em>

Pegasus' reply email ran through Kisara's head as she and Mokuba walked to Kame Game Shop, where they were meeting Tea, who worked in the store, for lunch. Pegasus wasn't Kisara's first choice in who to turn to, but Seto was so busy these days with the cloning, and there was only so much that Noah could do. Mokuba would be eager to do whatever he could, but in the end Kisara decided that the inventor of Duel Monsters, who'd researched so much about the origins and about the most prominent monsters, including the Blue Eyes, was her best bet. Noah at least had been able to locate Pegasus' personal email, and then Kisara had composed her message.

"What happened to your hand, Kisara?"

She blinked at Mokuba before glancing at her hand, then quickly looking away from it. "I just got a little cut the other day. Nothing terrible." She wasn't sure if she was imagining things or not, but in the past few days since she'd first noticed the black spot, it seemed to have grown bigger. She'd wrapped a bandage around her hand for the time being, but if the spot really was growing…

A bell chimed, and Kisara realized that they'd arrived at the game shop. Tea cheerfully greeted them from behind the counter, and Kisara and Mokuba grinned back as they joined her. "I got Chinese today," Mokuba boasted, placing the bag of takeout cartons on the counter.

Tea poked her head into the backroom. "Grandpa, Kisara and Mokuba are here, I'm going to take my lunch break now." Solomon Muto gave a muffled, affirmative response, and Tea shut the door.

Kisara took a bite of fried rice. "Why do you call him Grandpa, even though he's not your grandfather?"

"It's just how we do it, me and Joey and Tristan." Tea snapped her chopsticks. "We've all known Yugi and Grandpa for so long, it feels wrong to call him anything else. Can't really call him Mr. Muto, it's too impersonal."

The bell sounded, and someone stepped in. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'll come back when you're not busy."

"No, no, it's okay! It's my fault for forgetting to put up the Closed sign," Tea assured the girl. "I'll be right with you."

"Oh, don't get up for me, I can look around by myself." The redheaded girl ducked behind some shelves and started browsing them.

"Anything you're looking for in particular?" Tea called out.

"Um, Greek-themed cards, it's okay, I'll find them."

Kisara nibbled on some chicken. "Did Tristan really used to like that Miho Nosaka on Seto's – project?"

Tea rolled her eyes. "Big time. We all stuck our necks out for him at some point because he was crushing so hard. I even got in trouble once or twice."

"And she never liked him back?"

"Nah. Miho was always falling in love with every other guy except Tristan. She even had a crush on Kaiba once."

Mokuba made a half-laughing, half-choking sound, and tried to force down his food. "Whaaaaaat? Okay, Tea, spill."

Tea shrugged. "Miho didn't like your brother for too long. I think she just liked him because he was good-looking and rich. Besides, her main crush was Bakura."

Mokuba fell off his stool, laughing so hard that the redheaded girl glanced over at them, baffled, before returning to her perusal of the booster packs.

Kisara peered down at where Mokuba was struggling for breath. "What's so funny?"

"J-Just trying to imagine Seto with that blue-haired idiot."

Tea scowled. "Hey, Miho's not an idiot."

"Whatever." Mokuba heaved himself back onto the stool and checked his watch. "Aw, I have to head back to school soon, lunch is almost over…"

"I'll walk with you," Kisara offered.

The redheaded girl approached them, arms full of merchandise. "Sorry for bothering you, but can I buy these now?"

"Sure!" Tea cleared a space on the counter for her to set the cards down on and began clacking away at the cash register. "How did you find everything?"

"Great! I found all the Amazoness cards, and I finally got Athena and Zeus Breath."

Tea handed the girl back her change. "So you like mythology, huh?"

"I guess you could say that." The girl accepted her bagged purchases with a smile. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_. Have a nice day!" Tea waved as the girl exited the store. "She was really nice." Then Tea zeroed in on the bandage on Kisara's hand. "How did that happen?"

"Just a cut," Kisara said firmly, placing her hand in her lap. "Come on, Mokuba, I'll walk you back to school. Tea, need help cleaning up?"

"No, I got it, we don't want Mokuba to be late. See you later!"

"Bye, Tea!" Kisara and Mokuba chorused as they left.

As they strolled down the sidewalk, Mokuba glanced sideways at Kisara. "So you're not jealous of Miho or anything, are you?"

"Hm? No, why would I be jealous? I don't even know her."

"Don't girls usually get jealous when they hear about other girls liking the guy they're with?"

"Well, like Tea said, Miho only liked Seto for a short time." Her loss, in Kisara's opinion.

They began crossing the street. Mokuba smiled. "You're really something, Kisara. I'm glad Seto – _LOOK OUT_!"

Deafening screeching pierced the air, and Kisara felt herself being shoved to the side. She slammed onto the ground, skinning her knees, but the pain was nothing compared to the horror she felt as she watched the car slam into Mokuba and hurl him backward, hitting the asphalt and rolling several times before coming to an eerily still stop.

"_Mokuba_!" Kisara ran to him, dropping by his side, hands hovering over his body. _Am I supposed to help him up – no, I can't move him. It might damage him, right? Right?_

A matronly woman placed her hand on Kisara's shoulder. "An ambulance is coming right now." Kisara only ducked her head and continued staring at Mokuba, trying not to cry. She needed to do her best to keep a cool head right now.

A younger man crouched beside Mokuba and gasped. "This is Mokuba Kaiba!" He wrung his hands nervously. "Uh, should we call KaibaCorp, too?"

The woman's eyes bulged in shock, and she whipped her cell phone out again to place a call to the world-famous company. "Hello? Hello! No, this is very urgent! Someone needs to tell Mr. Kaiba that his brother is heading to the hospital! What? A car accident – hit-and-run. The driver's gone. I see the ambulance coming –"

Kisara could only watch as the paramedics carefully placed Mokuba on a stretcher and lifted him into the ambulance. Someone helped her stand, murmuring words of comfort to her, and she found herself seated inside the vehicle, holding Mokuba's limp hand.

_Weak… weak… I'm so weak, I couldn't help him…_

Mokuba's hand twitched slightly, and she clenched it even more tightly, as if her grip could stop his life from leaving his battered body.

_Don't die for me, Mokuba…_

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><p><strong>Drama, as promised!<strong>

**Pegasus will definitely be showing up again in a few chapters. Besides that, I don't really have anything to say... (I welcome questions, story-related and otherwise! ^^)**

**I've finished Ouran High School Host Club (love Kyoya) and I'm now working on Skip Beat. By the way, if anyone knows any good Death Note or Ouran Host Club fanfics to recommend, I'd really appreciate it!**

**Upcoming: While in the hospital, Kisara comes to several revelations about babies, coffee, and Seto. (Not necessarily related to each other.)**

**Review please!**


	16. At the End of the Day

**Thanks so much to Riiiceballe, TeresaShiho, biskittins, Cloisenne, lesnuitsdhiver, plenoptic, hopelessmine, Meowth That's Write, NitratesTrot, miaou5, and jaime n for reviewing and to quickwolf for faving!**

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><p><em>When faith replaces fear, success replaces failure.<em>

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><p>Sixteen: At the End of the Day<p>

Kisara didn't like the smell of hospitals. _It's the antiseptics_, they said. _They help prevent infection._

They still smelled bad.

In her hands was a Styrofoam cup of bitter, lukewarm coffee. One sip of it and she'd decided she didn't like it, either. How Seto drank it every day without fail, she didn't know.

Several hours ago, he had come storming into the hospital, scaring the nurses half to death as he roared at them, demanding to know where Mokuba was. After the boy had come out of the operating room, Kisara had sat, unmoving, by his side. Then she'd heard Seto coming and scampered out while his back was turned. She just didn't have the heart to tell him why his little brother was lying unconscious in the hospital. Not yet. She couldn't bear it if she was the reason why Mokuba, his little brother, d –

No. She couldn't think that word. Mokuba _would_ live. He had to.

Kisara heard Yugi and his friends tramping down the hall. As soon as they were out of sight, she cleared out of the break room. She hadn't known them for that long, but she knew Joey and Tristan were bound to come around looking for food sooner or later.

She wandered up to the next floor, cursing her cowardliness until a shrill wail drew her out of her thoughts. A baby? Why was… Her eyes fell on the sign that read "Maternity Ward." Oh. Right. In this time, it was more common to give birth at a sterile hospital rather than at home with a midwife. Kisara shuffled nervously past several doors, unsure whether she was allowed to be in this area. Then she walked by a wide window looking into a large room and stopped.

She had never seen so many babies in one place before! Some in pink, some in blue, all of them squirming and drooling and wrapped up cozily in snug blankets, tucked into little baskets. Eyes squeezed shut in sleep, plump cheeks red. Even on this side of the glass, she could hear them cooing in the innocent way that only a newborn could. They all had tiny mittens on their hands, and Kisara tilted her head to the side curiously, wondering why they were wearing them when it was most likely warm in there.

"Is one of them yours?"

Kisara blushed and turned to face the old woman wearing a head scarf beside her. "Oh, n-n-no! I'm just… looking at them?"

The old woman nodded, satisfied. "You look a bit too young to be having children just yet. How old are you, if you don't mind my asking?"

How old was she…? In her time, well-to-do merchants had trouble keeping track of their own years, let alone a street urchin. But she could estimate. She knew she had lived nineteen summers before being trapped in the tablet. "…Nineteen."

"I see. Well, aren't they all adorable?"

"Yes, very. Do you by any chance know why they're wearing mittens?"

"That's so when their faces itch, they don't scratch themselves and open some cuts and let germs in. It's very easy for newborns to get sick."

"Mm." Kisara remembered too well the anguished cries of mothers as the children they had only days ago so proudly given birth to died in their arms. To think, all those tiny children who hadn't even had the chance to live, they could've been saved if today's knowledge had been taught back then. If Mokuba had lived in her time, by now he would be…

"You look troubled," the old woman stated.

"Oh. Er, I guess I have some things on my mind…"

"And you have no one to share them with?"

"I do, I just don't want to burden them any more than I already have."

"Would you like me to hear you out? Sometimes it's better to have a stranger listen than for someone else who's involved in the problem to do so."

Kisara watched one of the babies stir, wriggling slightly in his blanket cocoon before drifting back to sleep. Only infants and an old lady to hear her sorrows. No one to judge her. "One of my friends… was hit by a car today. He pushed me out of the way. I should –" her throat burned "– be the one on that hospital bed right now. I can't even bring myself to face his brother, because –" hot tears streamed down her face "– because he'll _hate_ me and I won't be able to stand the look on his face, a-a-and if he hates me, I don't know what… I don't know if I'll be able to live without him..."

Something gently prodded Kisara's side, and she accepted the handkerchief, burying her face in it. "You love him," the old woman said wisely. "Your friend's brother." Kisara shakily nodded. "And he loves you back, yes?"

"A-after he finds out –"

"If he's even half a man, he'll keep loving you. Yes, he may be upset and moody for a while, confused even, but at the end of the day, he will still love you. If he looks into your eyes, not at them; if he thinks you are beautiful, no matter what you're wearing or how sick you feel; if he puts your wants and needs and sadness before his own; if he is happy to simply be in your presence; if he is willing to cross through hell, travel to the ends of the Earth, and steal the very stars from the sky for you, even if he has no guarantee of his life or _your_ love in the end; then he will still love you. Now tell me," the old woman turned and looked at Kisara with sharp, lucid, light blue eyes, "does that sound anything like him?"

Kisara stared at the floor, mind whirling to process everything the old woman had just said. Seto, he'd never even said "I love you" to Kisara before, but just because he didn't say it, did that mean he didn't love her? After all, she'd never uttered those words to him, either, but she unconditionally loved him.

Could it be…?

She swallowed hard. Before she could proclaim her undying love, she still had to tell Seto the full story of the accident. Some officers had tried to question her earlier, but she'd been to numb to speak. But now, now she had more confidence that Seto wouldn't hate her on sight. Or at least hate her when she finished telling him the details. "I… I think… Maybe? Um, thank you."

"Don't waste time thanking me, go find your man. Now I must take my leave. Farewell." By the time Kisara looked up, the old woman was gone.

_That… was strange… Did I just imagine that entire thing?_ But even as Kisara thought that, her feet were automatically turning around and heading for the stairs, making a beeline for Mokuba's room. Her heart thumped rapidly, and her thoughts careened around her brain. _How do I go about doing this? Wait for him to ask or take the initiative? Draw it out or make it quick and painless? Well, it'll be painful however I do it, if he can't... if his anger is too much..._

Her feet froze at the threshold of Mokuba's room. Tea and Yugi and the others had already left. The slow, constant beeping of his heart monitor filled Kisara's ears as her eyes took in the patient himself, left arm in a cast, bandage on his face from where he'd scraped his cheek. Then slowly, Kisara found herself drawn to the worn and tired man sitting by Mokuba's bedside.

She barely even recognized him. Seto, who was always so put together, so poised, so in control, was now a completely different man. His coat was carelessly thrown on the back of the chair he now sat in and his briefcase was abandoned on the floor. His face was buried in his hands, elbows resting on his knees, hair disheveled as if he had spent the last hour anxiously dragging his fingers through it.

Kisara hesitated, teetering in the doorway. But when Seto slowly looked up at her, eyes full of pain, she took a definitive step into the room, then another, and another, until she stood in front of him. And when he pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her, clinging tightly to her as if afraid she would leave him, too, she didn't resist.

He rested his head on her shoulder, staring hollowly at Mokuba as Kisara's fingers glided through his dark brown hair, gently fixing the disarray. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse. "I should have been there. This is all my fault. It used to be kidnapping, but now they're trying to kill him, just to get to me." Kisara paused, taken aback. She was the one who was supposed to be taking the blame! "Was this a warning, or did they mean to kill him but just made a mistake? I don't even know who was behind this, I definitely have a lot of enemies and rivals, but KaibaCorp's been laying low for a while and I haven't been thwarting anyone's plans for world domination recently –"

"I'm sorry."

Kisara's apology broke Seto out of his ramble. "What? You're – why are you sorry?"

"Mokuba saved me. He pushed me out of the way. I should be the one who got hurt, not Mokuba… I'm so sorry, Seto. If you're mad at me, I understand…" Kisara started to get up.

Seto wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her back down. "Kisara, do you think I would be any less worried and miserable if it were you on that hospital bed instead of Mokuba?" He turned her head to face him. "Mokuba is my baby brother, and I love him. But Kisara, you mean the world to me. If I had been there, I would have done the same as Mokuba. I would die before I let any harm come to you, so don't think that I would switch your and Mokuba's places in a heartbeat if that were possible."

Kisara's heart soared, but she quickly quashed the sensation. "Seto, that's not… You must love Mokuba more."

"They're two different kinds of love, Kisara. I have a brotherly love for Mokuba. But when I say you have a complete and utter hold on my heart, you better believe I damn well mean it." Then Seto seemed to realize how impassioned his speech had become and he glanced away awkwardly. "…Because I kind of love you…"

Her mouth fell open at his words, slightly disbelieving of what she was hearing. The old woman had given her a much needed boost of confidence to face Seto, but actually hearing him confirm what the woman had speculated was so much different. She was suddenly overcome by euphoria, and it must've shown on her face because Seto was looking at her again and smiling back at her. Kisara threw her arms around Seto's neck and, pressing her lips to his ear, whispered, "I kind of you love you, too."

The doctors said Mokuba was incredibly lucky. If he'd hit the ground at any other angle, he could've been sent into a coma or killed, but thankfully his skull was thick enough (Seto knew _that_, obviously) that it withstood the impact, and there was no brain damage whatsoever. No internal bleeding, either. The worst injury was his broken arm, which would take at least a month to heal. And there were plenty of scrapes and bruises, but nothing a healthy teenage boy couldn't handle.

So the nurses lowered the morphine level, and Mokuba was wide awake the next morning – and ravenous, of course. He nearly had a fit when he saw that breakfast consisted only of dry toast and apple sauce and was about to prove that he, too, possessed the legendary Kaiba temper when the Geek Squad swooped in, bearing cards, balloons, flowers, and, most importantly of all, armfuls of candy.

"As soon as you declare Mokuba's condition stable, I want to bring him home."

Dr. Hygins dropped his pen in surprise. "Are you sure that's wise, Mr. Kaiba? I assure you, your brother will receive the best care –"

"Our personal doctor, Dr. Ashton Pius – I'm sure you've heard of him – will be able to care for Mokuba equally well. But my biggest concern is actually security. My mind would be more at ease if my brother spent the rest of his recovery at home."

Dr. Hygins blinked and retrieved his pen. "Well, in that case… Yes, Dr. Pius is well-known within the medical circles, I have no doubt of the quality of his care. You will need to purchase equipment, though, like the IVs, and… well, it's going to be costly, Mr. Kaiba."

Seto narrowed his eyes. "You do know who I am, don't you?"

"Ah, of course – I will make the necessary preparations, Mr. Kaiba."

A flurry of blond and pink abruptly knocked Seto and Dr. Hygins to the side. "Excuse me, this is urgent!"

Was that Rebecca Hawkins? Seto watched suspiciously as the bratlet of a prodigy swept into Mokuba's room with a bang, shoving her way past the Geek Squad, who'd been joined by Duke Devlin, Serenity Wheeler, and Bakura. Seto knew that Rebecca also went to Domino High, same as Mokuba, but since when had they become friends? His eyes slid slightly to the right of the crowd and immediately stopped on a head of long white hair.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir."

"Yes, Roland?" Seto forced himself to look at his chief of security.

"The car involved in Master Mokuba's accident was found submerged in the harbor. Unfortunately, it was stripped of its license plates, registration, anything that could be used to locate its owner."

So Seto's suspicions had been correct. It wasn't just some cowardly buffoon responsible for the hit-and-run. It'd been planned. But from what Kisara had told him the other day, _she_ was meant to be the one struck by the vehicle.

Why would someone want to hit Kisara? If it was to get to him, like he'd at first assumed was the reason with Mokuba, then how did they find out that she even existed? Mokuba knew better than to blab, and Seto was certain that the Geek Squad had some discretion, too. And his employees had been around for years and were more than trustworthy.

Regardless of how they'd found out about Kisara, did they also somehow discover how much she meant to him, or had they simply tried their luck and hoped she was important to his life?

Or… what if it wasn't because of him, after all? What if he wasn't the reason why they'd targeted her? If he followed that line of thought, then… something related to Yugi, the King of Games? No, there were much more obvious targets if someone wanted revenge against Yugi Muto, like Tea or Joey or Tristan.

Kisara herself? Had someone found out about her relationship to the Blue Eyes, how she'd been resurrected from the tablet? But only a handful of people knew her origins. How could it have leaked out? And – "_Ow_!" Seto grabbed the back of his head, but the small jolt of pain was already gone. He whirled around and stared, bewildered, at a fleeing, slightly tanned young girl in a turtleneck and ratty jeans, hair completely tucked under a knit cap. Dark emerald-colored eyes glanced back at him a split second before she vanished around the corner.

Did some crazy fangirl just steal some of his hair right off of his head? Seto frowned. Something about her looked really familiar to him. Possibly he had previously filed a restraining order against her. It happened sometimes.

Seto dismissed the incident. Nothing worth worrying about. There was something more pressing, anyway. He strode into Mokuba's room, saying loudly over the din of voices, "Mokuba, stop eating yourself sick with chocolate."

"Aw, Seto!"

Seto managed to flash a small smile at Kisara, who beamed back at him, before stepping forward to confiscate the candy bar his brother was desperately trying to hide under his pillow.

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><p><strong>Sorry for such a late post! I'm barely making the Friday deadline. I'm just feeling really suckish right now. <strong>

**Upcoming: Seto has a very, very, very bad day. (Pegasus makes his grand reappearance; that alone is probably enough to ruin Seto's day.)**

**Review please!**


	17. Missing

**Many thanks to xVampirexElegancex, biskittins, plenoptic, Meowth That's Write, miaou5, hopelessmine, lesnuitsdhiver, TeresaShiho, Mackenzie, NitratesTrot, Cloisenne, and (anonymous) for reviewing and to SheRese53, SetoKaibafan12338, and dsignercarly for faving/alerting!**

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><p><em>Every day, be ready to fight to protect your happiness.<em>

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><p>Seventeen: Missing<p>

Seto's day went from bad to worse. For starters, he was woken up at the ungodly hour of five a.m., after only four hours of sleep, by a phone call from an apologetic Roland who reported a delay in the delivery of the specially-designed car for transporting Mokuba home, bed and IV and everything. So before Seto could even have his morning coffee, he had to spend an hour and a half shouting at an obstinate clerk at the dealers who insisted that "the payment wasn't filed properly."

After that problem was settled (the clerk was fired), Seto dressed and went downstairs for his coveted mug of black coffee, which he only got a few sips of before one of the maids came scurrying into the kitchen, proclaiming that Miss Kisara was missing.

Seto was about to call in the SWAT team, or the Navy SEALs, whichever could get there faster, when Kisara herself came back inside from her morning walk. The maid was promptly sent home for a week's break. No pay.

After a few minutes of Kisara insisting it was her fault for not following her usual schedule – she'd gotten up a few hours earlier because of all the excitement of Mokuba's homecoming – Seto changed his mind and told the maid, who was known for panicking easily, to go back to work.

Since it was the weekend, the chef wasn't in yet, so Seto made some eggs for himself and Kisara, teaching her along the way how to do a bit of cooking. But after he'd taken only one bite of his egg sandwich, security alerted him that there were intruders on the grounds, so Seto went to see what was going on, Kisara following him despite him telling her to stay put and keep eating breakfast.

The "intruders" turned out to be two middle school-age boys who were wearing toy Duel Disks and who had gotten so excited at being this close to _the_ Seto Kaiba's mansion that they'd triggered the sensors from all their jumping and shaking. They barely looked eleven and really hadn't done anything wrong, so they were just sent home with a warning (and after wheedling some autographs from Seto).

Seto and Kisara were headed back to the kitchen when his secretary at KaibaCorp paged him to tell him that a smaller, wannabe-rival company was trying to imitate KaibaCorp holographic technology. Seto holed himself up in his study and spent the next few hours hammering out a lawsuit with his lawyers, guaranteed to take the company out of business, or at least very close to it. Just as he was finishing up, an email popped up in his inbox from Pegasus, saying that he was returning to Domino City (Since when had he left in the first place?) and that he anticipated a meeting with Kisara very soon.

Then Roland called Seto and said that Mokuba was home early, so Seto raced downstairs to the front door, where a complaining Mokuba was being wheeled inside on his bed. "I can walk! Let me get up!"

"The doctors say this must be how we transport you until next week at the very earliest, Master Mokuba."

"It's my arm that's broken, not my leg!"

"Your ankle is still sprained, Master Mokuba."

"We're in my house now, no one has to – Seto! Tell this nurse to let me walk!"

Seto suppressed a chuckle at his little brother's stubbornness and shook his head. "If the doctor says you can't walk, then you can't walk, Mokuba."

"Oh, like you ever listen to doctor's orders."

Kisara peered around the doorway and beamed when she saw who was home. "Mokuba, you're back!" She made to stand by his bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Good enough to stand and walk by myself." Mokuba glared at the male nurse, a pleasant, married, middle-aged man with two kids, whom Seto had done an extensive background check on before hiring him for the duration of Mokuba's recovery.

"Let's get you settled in your room, Master Mokuba." The nurse wheeled his bed to the stairs, where several of Seto's other employees waited to help transport Mokuba up the steps, much to the younger Kaiba's chagrin.

"Stop whining, Mokuba, you're not a baby," Seto called up as his staff easily lifted the bed and carried him away.

"It's not fair, you would be walking if you were in my place!" Mokuba's complaining wails died away as the door to his room shut.

Kisara stared wide-eyed up the stairs. "Does Mokuba really hate being helped that much?"

Seto shrugged, smiling slightly. "He suffers from Kaiba pride."

She chewed on her lip, staring at Seto thoughtfully. "Seto, you were adopted, right?"

He frowned, wondering how she had found out. His and Mokuba's adoption had been kept completely secret from the press – as far as the world was concerned, they were the biological sons of Gozaburo Kaiba, who had kept them away from the public for the first few years of their lives – so the only way Kisara could've known was if someone in on it told her, which meant only himself, Mokuba, and Yugi's friends. "Yes?"

"Do you ever –"

His phone rang. Kisara motioned for him to answer, and he looked at her apologetically as he picked up. "Kaiba."

"_Mr. Kaiba, you said to call you immediately on your private number if anything serious happened with the project_." Singh's unerringly calm voice was unnaturally tense.

"What is it?"

"_Someone's broken into the lab. Almost everything is untouched, including Mr. Muto's developing clone. But some of the remaining Gemini Solution is missing_."

Seto instantly headed for the garage. "Have you checked the security tapes?"

"_We're going over them right now, but we haven't seen anything out of the ordinary yet_."

"Any idea how they got in?"

"_They bypassed the laboratory lock somehow. Before that, they probably blended in with the rush hour crowd to obtain entrance into the KaibaCorp building_."

"Tell security to find something to tell me by the time I get there!" Seto barked into his phone, snapping it shut and getting into his car. No time to waste waiting for the driver. He opened the garage door and was starting the car when a car door slammed shut. "Kisara, what are you doing?"

"I'm coming with you," she said as she concentrated on buckling her seatbelt.

"Do you even have any idea what's going on?"

The watery, dreamlike serenity that he was so used to seeing in her eyes was suddenly replaced by a blazing blue fire. "No, but I'll be there for you anyway. I'm not going to just stay behind and wait for news." And then the fire simmered down to a carefully tended warmth. "I won't leave you."

Seto smiled softly and kissed her hand, never letting it go as he backed out onto the driveway and drove out onto the road. "A very important chemical was stolen last night from the lab."

"Will that slow down your project?"

"No, we've already just started on the clone, but even so only some of the solution was taken. They're trying to figure out who it was, or at least how they got into the building. Security is supposed to be top-notch."

"Why would someone want to take your chemical?"

"Cloning is a very hot topic right now. A black market of human body parts, or humans themselves, could earn someone millions. Or it might even be just for the glory of being the first to successfully create a human clone."

"But you just said that you've already started making one."

"The team is bound by contract to disclose nothing about the cloning project, for the rest of their lives. If word got out that not only is the King of Games being cloned but he's being cloned in order to give his alter ego a body, that wouldn't be good for either Yugi or me, since I'm backing this whole experiment."

"If everyone involved is keeping quiet, then how did information about the project leak out?"

"Who knows, maybe one of the team members got a bit too loose-lipped at the bar one night. There are endless possibilities, but regardless I'm starting the interrogations with Singh's team. I know them too little and they know too much for me to free them of all suspicion right away."

The distinctive outline of KaibaCorp headquarters rose above the city. Kisara began hesitantly, "Your stepfather commissioned the construction of the building, didn't he?"

Damn that old man. "Yes."

"I've been reading old newspaper articles… They say he disappeared a few years ago when you took over the company, died even…"

A short nod.

"…He didn't really die then, did he?"

Seto almost ran a red light but reacted just in time and floored the brake. "Where are you hearing all these things from? Have you been digging up my past?"

"No! I didn't mean to, I just –"

"How did you find all these old articles? Did you just decide to look up Gozaburo Kaiba one day?"

"I… I can't tell you."

"Then why were you looking him up in the first place?"

Kisara closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. "I can't tell you that, either."

The light turned green. Seto stepped on the gas again. "Great. Just great."

"Seto, I would tell you if…"

"If what?"

"For your first question, I can't tell you how, otherwise I'd be betraying someone's trust. For the second question, I can't tell you why, because I care for you too much and it's not my place to tell you that sort of information, not now when you have all these other problems to deal with."

"Kisara… if it's someone's trust, then fine. But I don't need to be protected."

"Well, too bad, because I've been protecting you for the past few thousand years, and I'm not going to stop now." Seto barely stopped in his parking space when Kisara opened the door and got out.

They walked side by side silently into the building, no one bothering to check their identification, obviously. He was _Seto Kaiba_. And as a general rule, those with him received the same privileges that he did. Still, as they crossed the lobby to reach the security office, Seto's reappearance after being absent because of Mokuba's accident started up whispers, which only increased once they noticed the conspicuous-looking Kisara at his side.

"Who is she…?"

"Is he _with_ her?"

"That hair and skin can't be natural…"

Seto whirled around and glowered at the entire lobby's occupants, who silenced instantly. "_Back to work_."

Suddenly there was a huge rush to reach the elevators, and Seto smirked as he and Kisara continued on.

Roland was waiting for them by the security office's door, but once Seto stepped inside he wished that there was some way he could step back out immediately without losing face. "What are you all doing here?"

"Forgive me, Mr. Kaiba," Singh interrupted mildly before Joey could make some kind of provocative comment. "As Mr. Muto is the subject of our cloning experiment, I thought it best to also inform him of the theft. When he came to KaibaCorp, his friends were accompanying him."

Fine. Whatever. "Any news?"

Roland stood by the seated personnel who were scouring security footage. "The intruder somehow obtained the passcode for the keypad, which was activated last night around eleven p.m., after the last three team members, Professor Neal Singh, Ms. Miho Nosaka, and Mr. Judas Nyfitsa, left at nine forty-five. The intruder got to the vault, whose combination only you and Professor Singh know, but the intruder didn't use the combination. They left at about eleven-fifteen. Mr. Frederick Grayson was the first to arrive at eight in the morning, but it wasn't until Professor Singh arrived shortly before noon that several vials of the Gemini Solution were discovered to be missing."

Seto frowned. "Did the intruder physically break into the vault?" That shouldn't be possible without the proper tools, which someone was bound to have noticed in the lobby as they passed through.

"No, Mr. Kaiba." Roland adjusted his sunglasses. "The vault lock is electronic, and it appears they somehow _hacked_ into it."

Impossible. Seto had designed the vault himself. But it was no use arguing with it now. "How did they get into KaibaCorp in the first place? Unauthorized personnel are supposed to be turned away."

"That's the strangest part, Mr. Kaiba. The cameras show no one in the hall, elevator, or lab at all. It's possible they could have wiped themselves off of the footage, but that's highly unlikely."

"Maybe dey were invisible," Joey suggested halfheartedly.

The door opened again before anyone (Seto) could shoot down what Joey said, and Miho bustled into the room, nose buried in the paper she was reading. "Professor, we've double checked the inventory and nothing else is miss –" She looked up and met Tristan's eyes, and both froze instantly. Everyone else glanced back and forth between the two as they stared at each other, eyes conveying the emotions and words they couldn't express themselves.

Seto suppressed a groan. "If you're done making eyes at each other while having no intention whatsoever of carrying anything out, can we get back to the more serious situation at hand?"

"Not until I get in on the fun!"

Seto knew that voice. Unfortunately. "Pegasus…"

"What a mess you've gotten yourself into, Kaiba-boy! Whatever shall we do?" The red-clad entrepreneur strolled in, smiling widely. But despite his words of the situation's importance, Pegasus promptly turned his attention away from it and toward Kisara. "The lady of the moment! I've been waiting ages to meet you, you know, but silly Kaiba-boy here kept getting possessive."

"Um…"

Pegasus snapped his fingers, reached into his leather Toon Monster-imprinted briefcase, and pulled out a hefty file. "Can't pass up the opportunity to give these to you in person, can I, Kisara child? 'Course, we'll have to chat later, too." He dropped the folder into a still stunned Kisara's arms and turned back to Seto, beaming. "So what now?"

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><p><strong>And we're back! As promised, Pegasus has returned to the story - in person! ^~^<strong>

**By the way, anyone ever heard of a card game called King's Blood?**

**…I WANT IT SO BADLY. The American dealer says it's out of print, I can't navigate the original Japanese websites, and eBay, Amazon, and all the other little dealers don't have it, either. Oooh, it looks so awesome… T~T**

**Anyway, I appreciate everyone's support during my little emotional breakdown last week, and I have good news! My friend and I have made up, and Club Night was a hit. Over fifty signatures! Boo-yah. Our website, looks awesome, too. :D (I also joined my school's anime/manga club. Today was the first meeting and I loved it!)**

**Upcoming: The dots are connected and Seto's past is once again unearthed.**

**Review please!**


	18. Suspect

**Thanks so much to Plenoptic, (anonymous), Natasja Montenegro, Meowth That's Write, biskittins, MackenzieMedica, miaou5, Haryah, hopelessmine, Cloisenne, NitratesTrot, and XAriciaX for reviewing and to NikkaThory and Warriorsqueen for alerting/faving!**

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><p><em>We all fall down, but only the strong keep standing back up.<em>

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><p>Eighteen: Suspect<p>

"_You've got guts, kid, I'll give you that, and you look pretty smart, too. But do you really think you can beat me at my own game_?" The stout, burgundy-clad man threw his head back and released the deep, guttural, scratchy, ever-familiar laugh that echoed in Kisara's ears at night, along with _his_. Frowning, she watched the onscreen video for the umpteenth time, observing as the businessman carelessly patted the head of a young, brown-haired, blue-eyed orphan with a look of utmost determination on his face.

Noah, who'd apparently decided that he and Kisara were as good as family now, had taken the liberty of telling her about Seto and Mokuba's adoption. Her heart grew heavier as she saw in her mind's eye a younger Seto forced to grow up before his time, all alone, shouldering the weight of the world so that Mokuba didn't have to.

While Noah was talking about Seto and Gozaburo's decisive chess match, he recalled a press coverage of Gozaburo's visit to the orphanage and located a video clip that someone at the news station had dug up from the archives and posted online. At first, Kisara's attention had been focused entirely on Seto.

But then she heard Gozaburo laugh.

That voice! The second laugh, from the vision she had right before she ran outside into the rain, it belonged to this Gozaburo Kaiba, Seto's stepfather and predecessor.

Gozaburo… and _him_. Five thousand years separated them, but somehow they were both lurking in the shadows of her mind.

That revelation had taken place a day or two before Mokuba's homecoming. Now Mokuba had been home for about half a day, and thanks to Noah's uneasiness of being found by Seto and Kisara's reluctance to worry Seto further, that very same man was now holding her at arm's length. Kisara couldn't figure out whom she was more angry at, Seto for wanting to know everything that happened around him or herself for refusing to budge on the matter, regardless of how much it was clearly hurting the two of them.

Kisara peeked at the desktop background and smiled. The background was an image of a blue sky filled with huge clouds, and Noah had found himself a particularly fluffy one and fallen asleep.

The green-haired boy was actually the same age as Seto, but physically he looked even younger than Mokuba. He had been trapped in the virtual world for… eight years now? Such a lonely existence. Even during her own imprisonment in the tablet, Kisara had her dragon for company, and her dragon had never abandoned her. If anything, she had abandoned her dragon when she had been freed. But one day, Gozaburo had simply stopped visiting Noah, his own son, and then the boy was truly alone.

Though Noah was extremely fond of the modern innovation called "sarcasm," Kisara could tell that he really appreciated her chatting and friendliness with him. And she had no idea where on Earth she would be without Noah.

A short beep startled Kisara. Noah mumbled in his sleep but simply pulled more cloud over himself and rolled over, back facing her. Mokuba often reacted similarly when Kisara found him late at night napping on the couch, video game controller dangling from his hand. The funny thing was when she turned off the TV, he would jolt awake and say indignantly, "I didn't save that level yet!"

Of course, for the past few nights Mokuba hadn't been able to sneak downstairs to play Call of Duty or Halo or Assassin's Creed, because if he tried to leave his bed by himself, his escape attempt triggered a signal to the night maids, which then annoyed Seto for distracting him from work or from waking him up on one of the few nights he was able to grab some sleep at a decent hour.

Kisara went back to her email window and found a new message from ToonMaster1000 – also known as Maximillion Pegasus.

_I couldn't help but notice that you and Kaiba-boy seem to be having a lovers' spat at the moment. ^_^_

She made a face and almost deleted the message right then and there, but she – probably against her better judgment – decided to give Pegasus the benefit of the doubt and soldiered on.

_Anyhoo, I'm sure that by now you've looked through those files that I gave you the other day at KaibaCorp. The Ishtars in Egypt have reported that the tablet of the Blue Eyes has been stolen and replaced by a replica, and that when they were returning the Millennium Spellbook, they were attacked by unknown envoys of Darkness._

Kisara gritted her teeth at the thought of her dragon, trapped in that stone prison, at the mercy of faceless thieves. Seto had said he doubted that her dragon was still in there, but if not there, then where?

_Young Marik Ishtar strongly disagrees with his siblings on this matter, but Ishizu and Odion Ishtar have good reason to believe that a certain girl named Thea, whom Marik met a week or two before and who claimed to be an American tourist, is up to something, and she may or may not be connected to the Blue Eyes' tablet's disappearance. Marik asserts that he never showed Thea to anyplace that the average tourist could not visit in Egypt, and Ishizu and Odion believe him on this point._

Included in the file was a photograph of whom Kisara presumed to be Marik Ishtar, a lithe, white-blond, tanned young man, with his arm around a redheaded girl whose face reminded Kisara of Renaissance paintings she'd seen of a Greco-Roman goddess named Aphrodite, or Venus, depending on the whims of the artist.

The girl, Thea, certainly looked harmless. Lovely, sweet, just as adoring of Marik as he clearly was of her. But judging by Marik's vehement denial of this Thea's involvement in anything criminal, he probably wasn't the best source for an unbiased evaluation of her character. If Kisara ever met the girl herself, then she would be able to make a… a…

Wait, had Kisara met this girl before?

On closer look, Thea seemed somewhat familiar. Kisara wracked her brains until she summoned a memory of red hair, belonging to a teenager who'd gotten really excited over finding some elusive Duel Monsters cards.

Thea showed up in Egypt, and soon after her departure, her dragon's tablet went missing. Thea showed up in Domino City, in Yugi's grandfather's game shop, and soon after her departure then, Mokuba got in an accident.

_Unfortunately, the only information I've been able to procure about Miss Thea are the photographs Marik Ishtar took with and of her and what little background she shared with him, and even that we must take with a grain of salt. Now, my first suspicion to locate the Blue Eyes was to investigate the tablet, but even if we knew where it was, Kaiba-boy already thoroughly examined it when he was discovering a way to release you. Possibly the Blue Eyes is in the Shadow Realm. However, it might even still be in this world; after all, there _are_ numerous sightings every day of ghosts, monsters, and, of course, dragons._

In other words, they were at a dead end. Kisara frowned and skimmed the last paragraph, which only carried more hints about Kisara and Seto's love life. At least they'd been able to gain a suspect from all this.

Thea. No last name. Might not even be her real name. Supposedly from America, with dead parents. Living with an uncle, aunt, and cousin, the uncle in charge of a security company. That was it. Marik Ishtar must've really been head over heels for her to not think about asking for any more than that.

Kisara's eyes drifted over to her desktop calendar – dragon-themed, courtesy of Mokuba – and stared at a particular box with a red circle around it. The twenty-fifth of October? She peered more closely at her scratchy writing.

_Seto's birthday_.

Oh, Ra, it was almost his birthday and not only had she completely forgotten about it until now, which meant she only had a few days left, but they weren't talking to each other, Mokuba was still recovering, and someone had broken into his laboratory and stolen that chemical!

Birthday celebrations were a big deal in the twenty-first century. In Egypt, only the Pharaoh and some priests and nobles celebrated, since they were the few who could accurately keep track of their birthdates. But today, everyone acknowledged their aging another year. One common tradition was birthday parties, but Kisara was pretty sure Seto wasn't a party-type. October twenty-fifth was probably just going to comprise of Seto sulking, herself awkwardly fidgeting, and Mokuba trying to wriggle out of the wheeling bed.

So what could she possibly give one of "The Richest Bachelors in the World" (according to _Madame Gaia_ magazine)for his birthday? She didn't even have any money to her own name. Everything she bought was bought with Seto's money.

Looking back on it, Kisara felt kind of guilty now for spending what he'd earned, even though she was always careful to conserve when the girls took her out for shopping sprees.

His birthday gift would have to be something she couldn't just get from a store. But she couldn't really make anything, she'd never taken up any of those arts-and-crafts classes that she constantly saw flyers for. Kisara sighed and closed her eyes. She could always learn, she supposed, or get help. The important thing right now was to figure out _what_ exactly to get Seto. And of course, she would have to make up with him soon. She didn't want him turning twenty-two feeling upset.

What would Seto appreciate…?

Her eyes flew open in excitement. Of course! It was still something she would have to make, but it was _perfect_. And she could use that Google thing to find one of those internet tutorials Noah had shown her.

…But that could wait until tomorrow. She needed Noah to guide her through the Web, and she couldn't bear to wake him up. But she couldn't sleep, either, she was too pumped up for that.

She could talk to Seto? Kisara nodded to herself. Yes, that sounded good. She bolted to the door, mind running through things to say so that she and Seto could get back to the easygoing, harmonious relationship they'd been sharing before one or both of them had messed up and built up all this tension between them.

Then she flung open her door, and all those thoughts of reconciliation flew out of her head as she stared at Seto, who'd been poised to knock and was now frozen, hand raised and half-fisted.

For several long moments, they stood at the threshold, an invisible line separating the two of them. Though they were barely even a foot away from each other, it felt like they were worlds apart. One wearing cotton pajamas and hesitating in the dark sanctuary of a bedroom that was lit only dimly by the computer monitor, the other still dressed in work clothes and hovering in the lamp-lit hallway.

"I was –"

"There's –"

They both immediately ceased speaking. Both gestured for the other to go ahead. At last, Kisara relented and started up again. "I know… I know that you're upset because I wouldn't tell you where I'd heard about Gozaburo from. I still can't say anything yet, but I promise that I will someday, someday soon. There're just someone else's feelings I have to consider."

"…And Pegasus? What was all that business with him?"

Ah… _that_ at least she should've told Seto, she knew that. "Sorry. You're so busy nowadays and he was the only other person I could think of to help look for my dragon. I meant to tell you about it before he arrived in person, but he beat me to it." Kisara laughed nervously.

"I have to apologize, too." Kisara found her hands engulfed in much larger ones. "You're entitled to your own secrets and privacy. It's not my place to demand an answer to everything. Gozaburo is just a sensitive subject for me. And the more I know, the better I can protect you."

She smiled up at him. "I thought I was the one protecting you all this time."

"It's about time I repaid the favor." Seto bent his head and gave her a quick, soft kiss. "Anything else we have to tell each other about?"

"Not at the moment."

"How about what Pegasus decided to share with you about the Blue Eyes?"

Kisara nodded and ducked back into her room, flipping on the lights and seating herself at her desk. Seto pulled over a chair and sat beside her. "Someone's stolen my dragon's tablet from Egypt. We don't have much to go on except for a potential suspect named Thea." Kisara laid out one of the photographs.

Seto picked it up and carelessly glanced at it, about to put it back down before starting and staring at it again. "Thea, you said?"

"You know her? I'm pretty sure she was at Yugi and his grandfather's game shop right before Mokuba's accident, and she was in Egypt, touring around with Marik, not long before the tablet went missing."

Seto frowned and scrutinized the photo. "She was at the hospital the other day. I think she pulled a few hairs off of my head, as bizarre as that sounds. But that's not it. I know her from somewhere else…" He closed his eyes, brow furrowed. "Where do I… The orphanage!"

"The orphanage?"

"Domino City Orphanage. Mokuba and I were sent there after our parents died. This girl, Thea – no, what was her real name… Theodosia Apateras, something Greek, she was there, too. She was only about a year or two older than Mokuba, but she was really… serious. Very mature, very cold. But she had a really conspicuous birthmark on her left cheek, and there's no trace of it in any of these photos. It'd be impossible to disguise with makeup. That's what threw me off at first, the lack of the birthmark."

"What happened to her?"

"I don't know. When Gozaburo adopted Mokuba and me, she was still there. I'll make some phone calls to the orphanage first thing in the morning, though. We might have a lead."

Kisara narrowed her eyes in thought. "Do you think the theft of the tablet, if Thea had anything to do with it, was because of you? Did she have some kind of grudge against you?"

"All we ever did was play chess together about once a week, and neither of us was hostile to the other. But it's possible she might have some misconceived hatred for me, though the reason why is beyond me." Seto stood. "I'm going to do what research I can before I call the orphanage." He left the room.

A few seconds later, he walked back in and tightly embraced Kisara before leaving again.

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><p><strong>I took the liberty of adding reporters into the scene where Seto challenges Gozaburo to a chess match, because that scene in the show didn't ring quite right with me. No reporter who wasn't witnessing the event would take Seto's word over Gozaburo's, honestly, not at that time…<strong>

**So is the plot thickening yet, or did you guys see this coming? ^~^**

**Manga of the moment: Just finished Historie, which takes place in ancient Greece. (_I love Greek mythology so much._) I might start Black Butler soon. Movies: I watched Contagion, it's effing amazing. Also rewatched Thor, I just adore Loki, the poor guy. ^_^ (Why didn't they have Sigyn in there, he deserves some love, too...)**

**...But when is Little Kuriboh going to make a new Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged episode? _ (He seems to be running out of voices. I wonder if he'll try to voice Kisara or if he'll get another guest voice.)**

**Upcoming: As Seto and Kisara dig deeper into Thea's past, they unearth some startling, unnerving tidbits.**

**Review please!**


	19. Black

**Thanks so much to Natasja Montenegro, biskittins, SheRese53, hopelessmine, MackenzieMedica, XAriciaX, lesnuitsdhiver, miaou5, Cloisenne, oPlushieox, and Meowth That's Write for reviewing and to XXXXAnimeXXLuverXXXX, Witch-Demoness, and Marine Brother Shran for faving/alerting!**

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><p><em>Our fingerprints don't fade from the lives we touch.<em>

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><p>Nineteen: Black<p>

It was amazing how much emotion an amateur photograph that was over ten years old could convey. Dark, solemn green eyes gazed out from within the frame at him, drowned in sorrow and knowledge that no child should have ever encountered. Someone had carefully arranged her long red hair around her face, but even so the birthmark that had driven away so many potential adopters was painfully visible on her hollow cheek.

"This was taken a few months after she moved into the orphanage." Seto slid the photo across to Kisara. "Her full name is Theodosia. She's Greek. Officially, her last name is Apateras, but that's only the name she took on once she arrived at the orphanage. She never gave them her birth surname."

"How did she get to the orphanage? Did someone bring her there?"

"No, she showed up alone, in… 1999, at age six." Seto looked again at the face of the troubled girl who had sometimes frightened Mokuba – unintentionally more often than not – just by walking nearby. Seto had been the only child brave enough to approach her, and that was only when he wanted something, like a game when he got bored. All the other kids, including Mokuba, shied away from her as if she had the plague, and even the adult caretakers kept their contact with her to a minimum. "She wasn't very social, but she was rather clever and observant." After all, though she'd never won against him, she'd always given Seto a good round of chess. He'd played against plenty of other brilliant opponents since his adoption, but he still ranked her as one of the best players he'd ever gone up against, second only to Gozaburo.

"Did the orphanage director say what happened to her after you and Mokuba left?"

"Let's see… she was located and adopted in late 2005 by her uncle and aunt Silas and Eudora Anthes. A little while after the adoption, some officials checked on her and confirmed that she was comfortably living with Mr. and Mrs. Anthes and with her younger cousin Aikaterine. But soon after that, the family moved out of the country for a while, most likely to Greece, and dropped off the radar, so it's possible that Thea and her relatives came back to the States, or even to Domino, since no one's bothered keeping tabs on them."

"What about this security company that Marik said Thea mentioned?"

"That's most likely a ruse. There is an organization run by Silas Anthes, which he operates with extended family members, but the descriptions are very vague."

"Do you know who those family members are?"

Seto plucked several sheets of paper out of the stack and skimmed the list. "Dimitri Alepol – Alepoulos, Nicholas Sklirotee – Sklirotinou, Basil Nyfitsa, George Minyapolis – very big family, confusing Greek names, you get the gist." Seto knew more languages than any two or three typical Americans combined would know, but Greek was not one of them. And he pretty much got the idea that he was completely butchering those names when Kisara started stifling her laughter after the first one. "What, you think you can do better?"

She shrugged innocently. "Greek merchants and travelers sometimes came around the larger towns. If they heard you just now, they would be laughing, too." She folded her legs beneath her on the armchair, propped her chin up on her hand, and gazed at Seto. "So your birthday is coming up in a few days. Do you have any plans?"

"Eat some form of cake to satisfy Mokuba and get back to work," Seto said flatly. "I'm pretty sure I could hire a private investigator or detective to find out everything behind this Apateras-Anthes-Minyapolis clan –"

"What if I invited Yugi and his friends over?" Kisara wondered out loud.

A party? God, no. "The mutt is not stepping foot inside my house."

"_Joey_ has already been here before, don't you remember?"

"The alternative was listening to him whine for the next few weeks about how unfair it was that he was the only one out of the Geek Squad to not be allowed over and call me some very rude and unrepeatable names."

Kisara covered her mouth in a futile attempt to hide her smile. "What happened to make the two of you dislike each other so much?"

"His existence," Seto deadpanned. "Kisara, if you care about me at all, then please, for the sake of my sanity, do not host a birthday party for me."

She harrumphed and crossed her arms. "Then I'll just have to think of some other way to celebrate. I might ask Mokuba for a few tips."

Seto shook his head as she disappeared up the stairs. "Good luck with that, he's never succeeded at convincing me to attend a non-business related party of any sort, let alone host one." If he got even the slightest suspicion over the next few days that there was a party in store for him, he was going to conveniently disappear on his birthday.

_Tap._ Emile K. Price, expert private investigator, came highly recommended though extremely costly. As if the fee mattered. All Seto cared about was if the man could do the job that was given to him. He would do a quick confirmation background check on the detective before contacting him.

Seto picked up his phone to call Roland when suddenly the device started ringing in his hand. He checked the caller ID – Singh – before answering. "Kaiba."

No nonsense, no pleasantries, the good professor just cut right to the chase. "_Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Muto's clone has reached maturity and is now ready for your and Mr. Muto's test._"

Already? "That was quick."

"_We're very efficient, Mr. Kaiba._" Efficient, his ass. He'd worm an explanation out of Singh later. "_We've also contacted Mr. Muto and he is prepared for the test. Is Saturday a good day_?"

"Sure." He never had anything planned for the weekends. "Tell Yugi to be in the lab at one o'clock that afternoon and to try to limit the number of spectators." Seto tossed his phone to the side and went back to researching the private investigator. Things would be even busier once Yugi and Yami split apart (assuming that the experiment worked) and Seto wanted to get to the bottom of the Thea situation as soon as possible.

* * *

><p>Mokuba strained against the web of wires and tubes surrounding him before surrendering and sitting back in bed. "Kisara, could you pass me those jawbreakers?"<p>

"They're bad for you." But she handed them over to him, anyway. She needed Mokuba's help for Seto's birthday on Saturday, so she couldn't make him even more upset than he already was if she wanted him to cooperate.

Seto had confiscated Mokuba's cell phone the other day for eating himself sick on junk food. "You can get your grown-up privileges back when you start acting like one," he'd told his younger brother, who'd been quite green at the time.

Now Mokuba pounded his fist on top of his mattress while using his other hand to shove sweets into his mouth. "It's not fair!" he mumbled around a mouth full of candy. "All I have is a broken arm and a few scratches! Most people are back in school a day or two after they get back from the hospital, and it's already been a week for me!"

"You were hit by a car and had an operation. Seto and the doctors don't want you to tire yourself out. After all, you're not really known for 'taking it easy,'' Kisara teased.

"But – I mean – look at this!" Mokuba furiously shook his arm, jostling the tubes wrapped around it. "IV's? A heart monitor? I don't even need most of this stuff! Seto should just donate it all to a hospital or to someone who actually does need it!"

Seto had explained what each device did and they all sounded important. "I'm sure –"

"I can't stand it," Mokuba moaned. "I feel like some kind of cyborg! I'm not an invalid! Please, please, please, Kisara, can you help me take just a few of these things off?"

…Maybe all this machinery _was_ a bit over the top… "Okay, but if it looks like you're getting even the slightest bit worse, it's going back on," Kisara warned as she leaned over and carefully removed the first tube. Most of the others followed suit, falling silently to the floor.

Mokuba flexed his fingers, toes, legs, arms (his good one, at least). His face broke out into a huge grin. "Ahhhh, freedom!" Before Kisara could stop him, he vaulted out of bed and stretched, looking just like a cat basking in sunlight. "I owe you one, Kisara."

Kisara frowned. "You were the one who pushed me out of the car's way and got hit instead, don't you remember?"

Mokuba let out a small sigh. "It wasn't like I was going to just stand around and do nothing. If you had seen the car first, you would've pushed me, wouldn't you? Just forget it, Kisara, there's no reason for you to feel bad, it wasn't your fault." He smiled cautiously at her and waited for her to return it.

Which she did.

Grinning, Mokuba nestled into his beanbag chair, setting his computer on his lap, typing with his one good hand. "Well, got to get back to work."

"What are you doing?"

"Helping Seto out with stuff. He still suspects a mole on Professor Singh's research team and he's been meaning to do background checks even more thorough than the first time around, but he's been way too busy lately. It's not like I have anything better to do since I'm stuck in bed all day, so I'm doing the checks for him. I'm at Miho Nosaka right now, but I seriously doubt she had anything to do with the theft."

Kisara peeked at Mokuba's computer screen. "I've been meaning to ask you, on Saturday –" She stopped midsentence. Singh's team members were listed in alphabetical order, and the one immediately after Miho was "Nyfitsa, Judas."

Nyfitsa. _Nyfitsa_. She knew that name from somewhere…

"Kisara?"

"I'll be right back, Mokuba." She was already out the door, flying downstairs to where she and Seto had been sitting earlier. Yes, the file was still on the table! She snatched it up and rapidly shuffled through the papers until she found the packet she was looking for.

Thea's extended family members who worked under her uncle. Dimitri Alepoulos, Nicholas Sklirotinou, Basil Nyfitsa, George – Nyfitsa! Basil Nyfitsa! And she hadn't been around in this time for very long, but she was pretty sure "Nyfitsa" wasn't a common name.

Basil and Judas Nyfitsa. Relatives? Brothers? Father and son? Whatever their relationship to each other was, this couldn't be a coincidence.

One of the maids, a mother of three who was always pleasantly humming, was strolling down the hall, carrying a basket of clean laundry.

"Excuse me?"

The maid turned around and smiled. "May I help you, Miss Kisara?"

"Where's Seto?" Last time she'd seen him, not even half an hour ago, he'd been sitting right there.

"Mr. Kaiba just took his personal car out without telling anyone where he was going," the maid said apologetically. "I could try calling his business cell phone if you would like."

"Yes, please."

The maid set the laundry down in an unobtrusive corner and quickly located one of the many wireless telephones throughout the house. She placed it on speaker, and they both listened as it rang, but Seto didn't pick up. All they heard was the automatic, digital voice requesting they leave a message. "I'm sorry, Miss Kisara. Perhaps Master Mokuba could call Mr. Kaiba on his personal cell phone?"

No, Seto had taken Mokuba's phone! Muttering a barely intelligible "thank you" to the maid, Kisara hurried off, running through her options. If only she had her own cell phone!

Email! She could email him! Seto had mentioned once how he had a smart phone and could do a lot of things on it, like check his email. He probably wouldn't notice any message right away, but it was better than doing nothing and waiting for him to come home.

"You look like you're about to have a panic attack," Noah observed as Kisara threw open her laptop and clicked the internet icon.

Kisara's mind went blank for a moment, completely forgetting which email browser she used, before mentally slapping her head and typing it into the address bar. "Seto and I were looking into the Thea situation earlier and one of the things he showed me was a list of people who worked for her uncle and who were also her relatives and one of them was named Basil Nyfitsa and later when I was talking to Mokuba he told me that he was doing some background checks on the research team that Seto is working with and I saw that one of the names Mokuba still had to do was Judas Nyfitsa so I went to tell Seto about it but the maid said he just left and there's no way to contact him since he's not answering his business phone and Mokuba's phone got taken away so we can't call his personal phone and all I can do now is email him and hope he checks his inbox soon because –"

"Kisara. _Breathe_." Noah motioned for her to settle down. "You've typed in the wrong password at least ten times by now. Just sit back and I'll take care of it. You can dictate whatever it is you want to tell Seto and I'll write it down for you." But before Noah could even move, the screen suddenly turned white. "What the –" The light flared and blinded Kisara, and all she could hear was Noah's scream that was abruptly cut off as the screen became black.

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><p><strong>I can smell the hate mail coming. O_O You Noah fans can get very scary. (But I still love you!)<strong>

**We will eventually get a glimpse of Thea and her family. They're pretty messed up.**

**ANYHOO, I'm planning on participating in NaNoWriMo this year, which means I won't be writing much during November. _However_, I'm almost finished writing the very last chapter of this story (total 24 chapters), so don't worry, this story will be updated in a timely manner. ^.^**

**To oPlushiox: Thank you so much! It's my pleasure to write this story for you all. :)**

**Upcoming: What's Seto been up to all this time? We'll see... XD**

**Review please!**


	20. Professional

**Thanks so much to Witch-Demoness, XAriciaX, MackenzieMedica, biskittins, Sherese53, lesnuitsdhiver, miaou5, Meowth That's Write, Magdalene Thorne, Cloisenne, PlasticSmiles, and hopelessmine for reviewing and to juice7620 and remey2 for alerting/faving!**

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><p><em>Everything happens for a reason.<em>

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><p>Twenty: Professional<p>

Emile K. Price must have been even more attached to computers than Seto was, because barely a minute had passed after Seto sent an email to him before the detective replied back, requesting a meeting.

And so Seto found himself in a quiet little coffee shop set in an obscure side road of downtown Domino. To his surprise, though the place was nearly silent except for the humming of the coffeemaker and the clinging of the cash register, it was completely packed. People reading, people writing, people drawing, people doing the crossword, people napping, even people meditating.

Way, way, _way_ too Zen for his taste.

Seto would've turned on his heel and walked right back out – in fact, he did turn on his heel and start to walk right back out, but someone was standing right behind him and it took all the skill in every single cell of his body to keep from colliding or, God forbid, falling.

But he did take a step back when the very person he had almost run into stuck out his hand. "Seto Kaiba! Nice to meet you."

Seto looked at the person's face and did a double-take. "You're kidding me. You're Price? You must still be in high school."

"Hey, I'm nineteen," the boy said indignantly. But the annoyance vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and the renowned detective was sliding into a booth, gesturing insistently for Seto to join him.

Grudgingly, Seto sat across from the boy. "Please tell me you're just Price's representative."

"Mr. Kai – Seto – Seto Kaiba – Kaiba Seto – what should I call you?"

"Kaiba," Seto said flatly.

"Kaiba, how old were you when you took over that big company of yours?"

"Sixteen."

"Exactly. Age is of no consequence when you've got the skill to make up for it." Price waved the waitress over. "I'll have an extra-large cappuccino with lots of foam and way too much sugar – oh, and some cinnamon on top. And I'll have that triple-fudge brownie sandwich. You, Kaiba?"

"Coffee, black." The boy reminded Seto an awful lot of Mokuba. He really hoped his little brother wasn't going to be like this in a few years. "Can you prove that you're Price?"

"It's not like I carry around an ID card that says 'Emile K. Price, Private Eye Extraordinaire' in big letters, but I can demonstrate my skills instead if you'd like."

"Please do."

"The man at the table beside us is a smoker of twenty years who Rick-rolls his fellow cubicle worker colleagues, the couple over there met on a dating site and had their first date at a posh sushi restaurant a few blocks away, the dude wearing the green hat is OCD and has a fetish for rubber ducks, and the blond woman in the corner is in a relationship with three guys who are all named Bill and who all are lawyers of some sort. If you want, you can double-check with them."

"I'll take your word for it." Where the hell was that coffee? Seto wondered if they sold any alcohol in this place. He had a feeling he would need it.

"Of course, there's no need for you to prove that you're Seto Kaiba. I'm pretty sure everyone knows who you are, and two of my friends are always obsessing over and studying KaibaCorp's technology."

"Is there any particular reason why you wanted to meet with me?"

"If you didn't want to meet with me, you could've declined, so I'm assuming that my reason for wanting to meet you is the same reason that you have for wanting to meet me."

Price was also reminding Seto of a certain professor who got quite unnerving when provoked. "I'm starting to wonder if people like you are just drawn to working with me."

Finally, the coffee arrived. "Well, I make it a point to teach people I like a few of my observation tips, and since it's pretty hard for me not to like people – for example, I like you, even though you're kind of being an ass at the moment – it's not impossible for you to have met one of my 'students,'" Price said cheerfully before swigging down his cappuccino.

"You think you're all that, don't you?" Seto muttered.

Price smirked. "I _am_ all that."

"Then tell me something about myself, something that you can't just find on the internet."

The detective slurped the dregs of his drink, blinking twice before setting the cup back down. "Hmm… You have a younger brother…"

Everyone and their mother knew about Mokuba.

"…who was recently in an accident…"

Someone could have leaked that.

"…which was a premeditated hit-and-run that ultimately failed because it was targeted at your girlfriend, who by the way is five foot five with very long and straight white hair and blue eyes, and you're feeling frustrated about it all because you feel like the accident had something to do with you and not only is your brother injured but your girlfriend is also blaming herself for everything."

Seto's mug shook. "How the _hell_ do you know about all that?"

"A magician never tells his secrets. But if I was really involved in that hit-and-run, do you think I would be telling you that I even know about it in the first place, or that I would actually be sitting here and having coffee with the guy whose loved ones I recently tried to kill?"

Seto barely managed to stop himself from slamming his coffee down on the table. Barely. The little – "Why don't you use those observation skills of yours to get yourself a girl?" Seto spat.

"I do have a girl! I even wrote a poem about her, want to hear?"

"_No_."

"Ah, she said that, too. Shame. It's a very good poem. My best friend said so, and he's pretty much the master of poetry. Then again, he looked like he was about to crack up when he was saying that…"

For such a master of observation, the kid could be really… obtuse. Oblivious. At least with those he was close to, from what Seto could see. He'd fit right in with the Geek Squad. "If you can't act professionally, then I'm not going to hire you."

"My heart effing bleeds." Price took a hearty bite out of his monster of a brownie. "So, what are we going to talk about today?"

_He's too much of an idiot to be a spy for Thea's family._ "I need you to do a background check into a family." Seto tossed the file that he'd prepared onto the table.

Price picked it up and sifted through its contents, thoughtfully chewing on his calorically sweet snack. Seto took a moment to scrutinize the kid more carefully. Large green eyes, curly brown hair with a black baseball cap shoved over it. Ridiculously scrawny, even more than Seto. Price probably had very high metabolism. His skin was dark and he had Hispanic features, but he looked mixed. His t-shirt had what Mokuba had once called an "awesome face" on it. Price's golden sneaker-clad feet were propped up on the table, and in his free hand he twirled an elaborate silver pen that reminded Seto of a caduceus.

All in all, if Seto had seen him on the street, he would have simply dismissed Price as just another laid-back, happy-go-lucky teenager. Who would have severe diabetic problems when he got older.

"Big family," Price remarked as he finished reading the file. "But it shouldn't be a problem." He leapt up onto his feet, folder tucked under his arm, hand fishing in his pocket to pay for his cappuccino and brownie. "Well, see you around! It shouldn't take long for me to get back to you."

Seto raised his eyebrows. "You're not even going to discuss the fee?" What kind of a professional was he?

"Money is clearly not a problem for you, Kaiba. Besides, I'll know where to find you. Your fan-girls keep surprisingly good tabs on you. Oh, by the way, you might want to take a look at that 'cut' on your girlfriend's hand." Waving cheerfully, Price strode out of the café, practically skipping away.

Seto really hoped he wasn't digging his own grave here. Sighing resignedly, he downed the rest of his coffee, thinking that it would be a lot better if it had a bit of brandy in it.

_He knows too much. I shouldn't trust him._

And Price had that look on his face, as if he knew something that Seto didn't. But it was impossible not to trust Price, however cynical Seto was. And he wanted to see how well the kid could do his job.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. "Kaiba."

"_Mr. Kaiba, you need to come down to the lab immediately. We need to complete the clone now._"

"Singh, what's going –" _Beep_. "– on…" That professor owed him an explanation. Big time.

Seto probably broke a few traffic laws on his way to KaibaCorp, but it wasn't as if anyone was actually going to try to give Seto Kaiba a ticket. He parked at the nearest open space – who cared if it was reserved, it was his goddamn building – and stalked inside, scowling discontentedly at the rain, barely registering that the crowd in the lobby was more panicky than usual. He hammered the elevator's down button and stepped onto the lift, alone as it shot down to the laboratories.

Once again, the four amigos of the Geek Squad were gathered in his building. Of course, he understood that Yugi obviously had to be there to finish up the cloning transaction, but Wheeler, Gardner, and Taylor? _Why_? "Singh, what the hell is happening?"

"Bomb threat. Most of the building's evacuated already. The last ones are probably leaving the lobby right now, except for the lot of us down here."

"So why are we all still down here? Why don't you just pack up the clone and go?"

"We can't move the tank, we can't get ahold of any kind of portable vessel right now, and we can't really carry the clone out in public, can we? If there really is a bomb, we could lose all of our work. Mr. Muto said that the final step would take only a matter of moments. The clone's viable, it doesn't need to mature any further, now is probably the best time."

There was something suspicious going on, but Seto couldn't point fingers, not right now. "And who reported this bomb threat? Any idea when it's going to go off?"

"One of my students. We have time to finish, Mr. Kaiba, don't worry. I don't think any of us will be dying today." Several of Singh's team had already removed Yugi's clone from the tank and dressed it in a simple shirt and shorts. "All right, everyone, you'll have to leave now. You should evacuate."

Miho frowned. "We're not leaving you, Professor."

"This is our project, too!" one red-haired student protested.

"Miho, don't worry about me. And Judas, you knew from the start that most likely you wouldn't get to see the end of the project. I'm sorry, but that's how it has to work. Get out before there's any real danger."

The man named Judas glared at the floor angrily. "I –" He cut himself off, shook his head, and stormed out. The rest of the team members filed out unhappily, and Miho cast Singh and her old friends one last look of concern before following her colleagues.

Singh had his notebook out, already scribbling away. "Are you ready, Mr. Muto?"

The temperature felt like it had gone down ten degrees, and the shadows seemed to pervade the room more than they had before. Yugi's Millennium Puzzle gleamed unnaturally as its owner walked heavily toward the clone. Seto wondered what it was like for Yugi at that moment, to see an almost mirror image of himself lying on a steel table, breathing and heart pounding, yet still lifeless and unresponsive, his own eyes staring back at him vacantly.

Then suddenly, in the darkness, Yugi smiled. "I'm looking forward to meeting you, Yami. Face to face." The Puzzle's gleam never faded as Yugi removed it, pausing for a second before laying it around the neck of his clone's soulless body.

For a moment, the shine died, consumed by the shadows. And then searing light burst before their eyes and arced around the room, engulfing the clone in a brilliant ray until all they could see of it was a hazy outline. The room shook as purple wisps surrounded the great white beacon, mingling with strands of light, and a wordless, otherworldly cry resounded in their ears.

Yugi gasped, looking as if he were in terrible pain. He clutched his chest, and golden sparks and tendrils surrounded his hand before making a beeline for the heart of the giant cocoon of light.

Then, as if an invisible hand had reached down and scooped it all away, the light disappeared into nothingness and the gray, straight lines of the lab were restored. And in the center of it all, sitting confusedly on the metal bed, was Yami.

As Yugi was helped to his feet by his friends, he stared at the Pharaoh, disbelieving of what was before his very eyes. Joey, on the other hands, had no qualms with accepting the sight. "Hey, Yug, ya have a brother now!"

Singh's jaw fell and hung open for a split second more before he donned again his pragmatic, observing scientific visage. "Yami, is it? How do you feel?"

Yami took a moment to flex his fingers, his arms, stretch, stare at his hands. Finally, he stood, shaking slightly before quickly steadying himself. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and a faint smile shone on his face. "I feel… like I've never known before what it's like to be alive."

"Any pain, anything not functioning properly…?"

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" Yami opened his eyes again and looked at Yugi, and an even bigger smile broke out. He extended his hand.

Yugi grinned, and they shook. Tea was tearfully watching the scene, beaming like an idiot. Joey and Tristan patted Yugi and Yami's backs. And Seto just stood there, reminding himself that it wasn't some trick or illusion. There really were two Yugis. Why had he agreed to this again?

Oh. Yeah. It was _interesting_.

Then Tristan remembered. "Wasn't there a bomb threat or something?"

"I'm sure security has taken care of it by now." Seto didn't hire them to just sit around and watch soap operas.

"Still, even you're not immortal, Mr. Kaiba." Singh made one last note in his notebook before shutting it. "Mr. Muto and Mr. Muto, would you mind if I continued your examination outside, in a safer environment?"

"No – hey, stop that!" Already Yugi was being teased by Yami, who was casually moving his hand up and down in an obvious gesture of measuring their height difference.

After Singh gave Yami some jeans and a jacket to wear over his clothes, they took the stairs instead of the elevator – there was an emergency, after all – and emerged in the empty lobby. The rain was falling in torrents, and as they sneaked unnoticed past the police officers and firemen, Seto realized that he'd never told Kisara and Mokuba where he was going. He took out his phone as they made their way across the street at the side of the building when an electric current suddenly froze his body, and the last thing he heard before falling to the ground was Tea and Tristan's shouts of surprise and alarm.

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><p><strong>So did you like my little private eye? ^_^ We <em>might<em> get to see him again in this story… Definitely in the sequel, though.**

**QUESTION: I've written out the remaining chapters for this story and will be posting them periodically throughout November, during which I will be working predominantly on NaNoWriMo. After NaNoWriMo, I'll start working on the sequel – should I start a new story for it, or should I just continue posting onto this one and start a "Part II?" What do you guys prefer?**

**P.S. Little aside - if anyone is interested in Greek mythology, graphic novels, or just great art or new reading in general, I highly recommend Zelda Wang. She self-publishes and posts most of her artwork and mangas online for free, and she is _amazing._ Her most popular series is MYth, which is her own take on Greek mythology. Her DeviantArt is zelda994612, her Facebook is Port of Zelda, and her mangas are at myth (dot) smackjeeves (dot) com.**

**Upcoming: Seto meets Noah, Kisara meets the Ishtars, and... er... Seto and Yugi and Co. meet a herald of bad news?**

**Review please!**


	21. Safe

**Thanks so much to miaou5, XAriciaX, dsignercarly, KaliAnn, biskittins, lesnuitsdhiver, Cloisenne, Meowth That's Write, plenoptic, hopelessmine, and MackenzieMedica for reviewing and to DarkShiftRising for faving/alerting!**

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><p><em>There is always a battle at every point in life.<em>

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><p>Twenty-One: Safe<p>

"You're telling me that I got struck by lightning… at the exact same time as Yugi, Yami, and Wheeler?"

"And you all escaped miraculously unharmed." Singh blinked owlishly as the paramedic finished examining Kaiba, who'd flat out refused to go to the hospital. "I must admit, the surprise of it all still hasn't registered yet."

Seto frowned, placing his hand on his chest, feeling the steady, normal beat of his heart. His head was still lucid and alert. There was nothing different about him. Not even static shock. The other three were also puzzling over what had just happened, and none of them looked for the worse, either. "I think I'll go home now."

"That's probably wise. I hope you have an uneventful rest of the day, Mr. Kaiba." Singh nodded and turned his attention back to Yami.

But even Seto knew the limitations of the human body, and he drove much more slowly than usual, ready to pull over if he felt the slightest bit faint or dizzy or unusual. He almost sighed in relief when he finally pulled into his garage, feeling extremely relaxed for someone who'd just survived being struck by lightning.

One of the maids, Glennis, a mother of three young but bright children whom she was very proud of, smiled at him as she washed vegetables in the kitchen sink. "Good afternoon, Mr. Kaiba."

"Afternoon."

"Oh, Miss Kisara was looking for you earlier. She looked rather worried, but no one could reach you."

"Ah. Thank you, Glennis. Where is she?"

"She went up to her room a few hours ago. I haven't seen her downstairs since."

Seto nodded and rapidly climbed up the stairs, depositing his coat and briefcase on the floor of the hallway as he neared Kisara's room. "Kisara?" He instinctively raised his hand to knock on her door when he realized that it was ajar. He narrowed his eyes and creaked it open even wider. "Kisara, are you in here?"

Her bed, neatly made, light blue coverlet free of wrinkles. A book of poetry on the nightstand, bookmark tucked in one of the pages. Balcony doors open, a cold breeze making the curtains flutter. A pile of thick, cut-up blue cloth and hard gold material stacked on the floor for later usage. Desk neatly organized, even more than his own desk. Her room was still the same as the last time he'd seen it, only… it was empty.

Normally, he wouldn't be worried about not finding her in her room. The house was huge, she could be anywhere inside or on the grounds. But all of today's events had put him on the edge, and he felt uneasy as he scanned the room again, as though she could have appeared sometime in the past few seconds.

Kisara's laptop started beeping frantically, startling him, and he turned to stare at it confusedly, eyes widening as an image flickered into view, and a face he thought he'd never see again flashed before him.

Noah looked like he hadn't aged a day – as expected. He looked pale, if a pixelated person could be pale, and he looked on the verge of panic. The green-haired boy's eyes fell on Seto. "Wh – Seto! Seto, there's – you – you have to find Kisara! You have to find her, he –"

"What the hell have you been doing on Kisara's computer?"

"What haven't I been doing on Kisara's computer," Noah muttered mockingly.

"You did not just –"

"Yeah, _I just went there_."

"I am going to –"

"Please, Seto, stop it with the petty threats so we can actually get to the important things?"

"Why don't you just shut your damn mouth?"

"Ohhhh, yeah, that's right, you never listen to anyone, do you? Look at me, I'm Seto Kaiba, the universe revolves around me –"

What the hell had the digital freak been up to all this time on Kisara's computer? Nothing good ever came with him. Of course, Seto couldn't forget the time Noah had tried to kind of kill them all a bit. Mokuba may have let bygones be bygones and Yugi might have claimed to see the good in Noah, but to Seto, the world was better off without the little snot.

"– and you're just jealous because Kisara likes me better!"

…Seto hoped that Kisara didn't have anything important on her laptop, because he was permanently wiping everything on it. He sat down and set to work.

"Seto, what are you – hey, hey, stop that! No, you have to know –" That got rid of the audio. And as for the rest…

* * *

><p>"N-N-N-Noah? Are you okay?" Meekly, Kisara shook the dead laptop. "Noah?" A sudden, chilly breeze gave her goosebumps, and she slowly turned around to see someone standing in the shadows. "Who are you?"<p>

He acted so quickly, Kisara didn't even have time to struggle. By the time she realized what was going on, he had already leapt off the balcony and was halfway to the ground, with her tucked under his arm like a package. The instant his toe touched the lawn, he jumped back up in the air, and in only three steps, they were soaring over the long, tall gate that surrounded the Kaiba property. And it took all of ten seconds, so fast that Kisara doubted anyone had noticed. Which meant the only backup she had was herself.

There were certain parts of the human body that were particularly susceptible to damage and pain, Seto had told her once, one of them being the stomach. And elbows were very good at causing pain to stomachs.

The man let out a muffled groan and dropped her. Kisara tumbled onto the sidewalk, quickly getting up and scanning her surroundings for help, but the man – who was wearing a dark, violet-tinged outfit and had his face covered – was lightning fast.

Just as he grabbed her wrist, someone with pale blond hair tackled him to the ground. The man slinked out of the blond's hold, only to run into a wall of a person who casually tossed a punch in his face, which caused an unpleasant sounding _crunch_. The man staggered and was promptly whacked over the head by a heavy handbag. Growling in defeat, he turned tail and disappeared into the shadows.

"Are you hurt, Kisara?"

Dazed, Kisara stared at her saviors. The blond man stood, wiping dirt off his pants. She recognized him from the photo, Marik Ishtar. That meant the classically beautiful woman, wearing a traditional white sarong and carrying a deceptively weighty purse, was Ishizu, his sister. And the other man, tall and daunting, was Odion, their adoptive brother. "No… I'm fine. Thank you, for…"

Marik grinned. "No need. We weren't going to let a ninja kidnap someone, especially not you."

Ninja… One of those sly, sneaky Japanese warriors?

Ishizu pursed her lips, deep in thought. "That 'ninja' looked very familiar."

"Strike Ninja," Odion said matter-of-factly.

Marik looked at his brother in disbelief. "That's a Duel Monsters card. I thought all that business with monsters coming to life was over."

"It happened once, it can happen again." Ishizu turned her attention back to Kisara once more. "Come, let's find a safe place for you."

Kisara shook her head. "I have to find Seto." And Noah! What had happened to Noah?

"Kaiba isn't home?"

"No."

"Then it's even more important that we keep you safe."

"Seto's house has all those guards, the cameras, employees, how is it not safe?"

"You were just kidnapped," Ishizu pointed out. "Certainly those precautions will discourage normal criminals, but as you just saw, they are not enough to keep those from the Shadow Realm away."

"Ishizu," Odion's deep voice rumbled. He gestured at Kisara's hand.

The bandage had fallen off during her struggle with the ninja, and the black spot, its cobweb-like tendrils spread now to the edges of her palm, was bared for the world to see.

"What is that?" Marik breathed.

Ishizu's eyes never looked away from Kisara's hand. "Someone left their mark on Kisara. It means she'll never be able to hide from them. Ever. All the more imperative that we find Kaiba and the Pharaoh. She needs all the protection she can get."

"Please – isn't there any way I could get it off?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry. Our family's ancient texts only mention it in the vaguest of descriptions, let alone tell of a cure."

"Ishizu, we should be moving," Odion murmured urgently.

"Ah. Yes, of course. Kisara, would you please come with us until Kaiba can find you?"

Both Seto and Yugi had said the Ishtars were trustworthy (albeit the former more grudgingly than the latter). And Kisara didn't get any odd feelings from them, either. So she nodded and found herself in a protective circle as they walked, but hurriedly, to their car.

Ishizu, in the front passenger seat, was frowning as she held her cell phone. "I can't get any signals at all… What in Ra's name…?"

* * *

><p>"Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Muto and his friends are out on the grounds."<p>

Grimacing, Seto looked away from Kisara's newly wiped laptop, stood, and walked over to the balcony door. Indeed, the Friendship Fairies were flitting around his lawn. He shut the door, wondering why it was open in the first place since Kisara had only ever opened it during warmer weather, picked up his briefcase and coat in the hallway, and stalked downstairs.

"I'm telling you, something happened here earlier, and it's not good." No, Seto was not seeing double. He reminded himself, again, that there really were two Yugis now. Yami, now dressed in a dark jacket and pants, had his arms crossed and was staring intently at an innocuous spot in the grass. Yugi, Tea, Joey, and Tristan were, quite reasonably, looking politely befuddled.

"Is there some kind of invisible monster footprint on my property?" Seto asked sarcastically, glowering at the lot of them.

"Close, very close, Kaiba." Yami looked away from the patch on the lawn. "Have you seen Kisara lately?"

"I was looking for her when you all showed up."

"You returned him about an hour ago, right? Shouldn't it be worrisome if it's taken you this long and you still haven't found her?"

Seto sighed. "I was taking care of a little problem first."

Yami looked back at the grass. "Kaiba, do you remember three years ago, when Dartz was coming to power and Duel Monsters were crossing from the Shadow Realm and into our world?"

"What of it?"

"It may be happening again. And I think the barrier between our worlds was breached when we brought Kisara to life two months ago."

Seto's hackles rose, and his heart turned to ice. "Are you blaming her for all these problems that you claim are happening?"

"Not at all. The more I think about it, the more likely I think that the barrier would have been breached, anyway, regardless of whether or not we freed Kisara. Her release was just a catalyst." Yami's eyes flickered up to one of the windows in the mansion. "I believe a monster may have trespassed on your home today. Tell me, did you see anything unusual in Kisara's room?"

His heart shattered.

Joey was looking over Seto's shoulder. "Hey, dat's Mai. What's she doin' here?"

The fierce blonde marched across the lawn until she stood beside them, hands on her hips. "What's all this I'm hearing from the maid about Kisara being missing?" she demanded.

"Mai, what are you doing here?" Tea asked, surprised at the blonde's presence.

"Kisara asked me to come over today to help her make some kind of craft. Obviously, that won't be happening right now, but more importantly – _where is she_?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out!" Tristan exclaimed.

Their inane arguing and shouting sounded distant and hollow to Seto's ears, echoing from some other far-off world.

_Kisara._

_ Where…?_

_ Monsters._

_ Kidnapped?_

"Yo. Yo! Money bags!"

_ My fault._

_ Wasted time._

_ Find her._

_ How?  
><em>"See dis card here? Red Eyes could kick your blur dragon's butt any day."

"Say that again, mutt, and I will ensure that you permanently disappear from this country."

They were all blinded by a blazing light shining from Joey's card, deafened by a sudden, ferocious roar.

"Holy mother," Tristan whispered.

The great black dragon stretched and turned its head to stare at them with its blood red eyes, chest rising as it breathed, claws digging into the ground, wings twitching as it shifted. Its low growl rumbled and made the earth tremble, tail slowly swishing back and forth, coming dangerously close to crushing Seto's gardeners' beloved rosebushes.

That was no hologram.

Joey's eyes, which were as wide as saucers, were swimming with shock, awe, fear, pride. "Dat's… Dat's… How did dat happen?"

Yami looked thoughtfully between Yugi and Joey and Seto. "The four of us were all mysterious struck by that lightning, weren't we?"

"_How very deductive of you, Pharaoh. I applaud you._"

That voice sounded a lot like Duke Devlin, but there was a strange, hollow tone to it, like it wasn't completely Duke. Seto turned around.

Duke's eyes were unnervingly… empty.

And when Duke chuckled, it didn't sound like his smooth, easygoing laugh at all. "_Enjoying your new powers, are we_?"

Yugi stepped forward angrily. "What have you done to Duke? Let him go!"

"_I am Duke, Yugi. I'm so hurt that you wouldn't think so._" Possessed-Duke smiled vapidly, insincerely. "_I have something very interesting to show you, the Pharaoh, Joey, and Kaiba. We have no time to waste._"

Joey growled. "Tristan, let's grab him, try to shake some sense into him."

"_When was the last time you saw your sister, Joey_?"

The blond froze. "Serenity… _What did ya do to her_?"

"_She is currently our guest, along with Mr. Solomon Muto and Miss Rebecca Hawkins… Kaiba, isn't it amazing how dedicated your brother is to his girlfriend? The things he'll do for love. It's all so tragic_..." Possessed-Duke sneered at the horrified looks on everyone's faces. "_Of course, this invitation is only for the four that I mentioned earlier. Come, come, there's no time to waste. You do want your loved ones all back in one piece, don't you_?" He turned to go, intending to lead the way. "_Oh. By the way, where is dearest Kisara_?"

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><p><strong>AHHHH. I updated late. I'm so sorry. T~T I mentioned my writing club before, right? We make monthly newsletters, and the October submission date was yesterday, and I spent several hours editing-copying-pasting-formatting-cropping-resizing-taking last minute photos-etc. And we also had no school Friday, so I got disoriented. Sorry!<strong>

**So. Yeah. Lots of stuff happened this chapter. Duke's back! But... that's not really a good thing here, is it? :P**

**Not many people gave me their input on what to do about the sequel, but I've decided to just keep adding chapters onto this story for Part II. So even when Part I ends, don't take it off your alert list just yet!**

**Manga of the Moment: I just finished Ashita no Ousama. It's not very widespread and the art could be a bit better, but it's a really great story! You have to hang in there for a few chapters, though, because it does drag a wee bit in the beginning.**

**Upcoming: The next chapter is called "Mokuba." I think you can guess who's going to be the star.**

**Review please!**


	22. Mokuba

**Many thanks to KaliAnn, XAriciaX, Meowth That's Write, Lace Kyoko, biskittins, plenoptic, Thunderscourge, hopelessmine, SouJaE, miaou5, lesnuitsdhiver, and Magdalene Thorne for reviewing and to BookWorm2534 and aznpride16xx for alerting!**

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><p><em>You are your own worst enemy.<em>

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><p>Twenty-Two: Mokuba<p>

Mokuba looked in disgust at the dead crow on his bedroom floor. Not even a minute ago, it had flown onto his windowsill and pecked incessantly at the glass until finally he got up and pounded his fist on the pane, hoping to scare it off. Instead, its beady black eyes stared at him, unfazed. Then he noticed the little scroll in its beak. Praying he wasn't about to get bird flu, he cautiously eased open the window, and the bird hopped inside and deposited the parchment into his hand.

Then it dropped dead.

Gagging, Mokuba quickly wrapped up the carcass in an old t-shirt (which would be going in the incinerator later) and dumped the entire thing into his trash can. Immediately after, he went to the bathroom to scrub his hands raw, and only then did he finally pick up the scroll – gingerly – and begin to read.

_Savant's progeny, flaxen-haired,_

_Your heart, beloved, most endeared,_

_In the house of your past, not quite safe,_

_Return within an hour else Death awaits._

…What the hell? Was this some kind of joke? Mokuba frowned as he skimmed the poem again. Or… maybe it was a warning…? If that was the case, then who did he hold close to his heart?

Seto, obviously. Kisara. His friends, Yugi, Tea, Joey, Tristan, everyone. And Rebecca –

The paper crinkled as his grip suddenly tightened. _Savant's progeny_. Her grandfather was a university professor. _Flaxen-haired_. If she wasn't blond, then he didn't know who was.

_Not quite safe_.

In danger. Kidnapped.

"For once, I'm on the other side," Mokuba muttered, trying again to decipher the second half. In the house of his past? Somewhere he had once lived? There was the orphanage, but that was way too crowded for it to be any kidnapper's hideout. His home before he and Seto were orphaned? But he didn't even know which neighborhood his old house was in, let alone the address.

_The old Kaiba Mansion…_

After Gozaburo had disappeared, Seto had ordered the construction of a new home, which they were currently living in. Neither of them could stand another second in that miserable place, which held so many bad memories and sorrows. Seto had never bothered tearing it down, and as far as Mokuba knew, it was just a dilapidated, abandoned house.

Mokuba looked at his watch and cursed loudly. The old Kaiba Mansion was well over half an hour away by car, and he'd already wasted ten, fifteen minutes on the bird, his scrubbing, and the riddle. Without another thought, he tore out of the room.

"Master Mokuba –!"

"_EMERGENCY_!" Mokuba bellowed at the frightened maid as he skidded down the stairs and hurtled into the garage. He scanned the vast collection of vehicles, pausing first on Seto's motorcycle before shaking his head and continuing on. Not only would Seto kill him, but his left arm was still in a cast – though it was healing well and was coming off soon – and would seriously impede his steering.

He could still drive a car one-handed, though. Alright, maybe he didn't have his official license yet, but he had his permit and he was damn good at driving. He could worry about legal implications later. Mokuba slammed on the garage door opener and dove into the nearest Porsche.

"Master Mokuba, this really isn't a good –"

He pulled out of the garage so fast, he left skid marks on the floor. The evening news that day would have a story about a blur of a sports car tearing through Domino City, going so fast that the police had no chance of catching up to it. But Mokuba didn't encounter any kind of accident that afternoon, mostly because he'd picked up a thing or two from watching Seto drive all these years.

About two blocks before Mokuba reached the old Kaiba Mansion, he hit the brakes. Even he knew better than to storm in alone into the enemy's lair with no plan whatsoever. He hid the car among a bunch of others in front of a house that seemed to be hosting a party and continued the remaining distance on foot, sneakily crossing the neighborhood that was separated from the Mansion by only a long, iron-wrought fence.

While Seto had been trapped in lessons, Mokuba had spent his days exploring, and he'd found numerous hideaways and unguarded paths onto and off of the property. The Mansion was very, very old – centuries old, rumor had it – and there was an underground tunnel that had been forgotten and untouched until Mokuba had stumbled across one of the exits one day in the basement. It emerged on the outside of the fence, the exit hatch cleverly disguised as a fake bottom for an unused well in the neighborhood. Mokuba had surmised that it had been some kind of escape tunnel back in the day, but regardless of the purpose it had been built for, he needed it to get _in_, not _out_.

He could do that.

Making sure no one was watching, he lifted the well cover, leaned in, flipped open the hatch, and stepped in, feet touching the earth floor. He hastily pulled the cover and hatch back over him before getting on his knees and beginning the long crawl.

The crawl took longer than he remembered, but that was probably because of the cast. He grimaced as dirt splattered his face and his hand splashed in a mud puddle, but he grit his teeth and forged on. Finally, the ceiling was high enough for him to stand, albeit hunched over, and he ran the rest of the way, mentally keeping track of his movements. When he was little, he'd counted the number of steps it took to get from one end to the other. He was older now, though, and his stride was longer, so he cut down the number, but he was still unprepared for when he actually reached the other door and almost crashed head-first into it.

If he recalled correctly, the door was cleverly hidden behind a pillar in the basement… so he could open it a few inches and peek inside to make sure no one was there before opening it all the way. Holding his breath, Mokuba creaked the door open, peering suspiciously into the basement.

Coast was clear. Still wary, he silently shuffled in and quietly closed the door behind him. He inched along the wall to the corner, straining to hear the smallest sound.

And… was that someone pacing? Mokuba slowly leaned forward and glanced up and down the hall, noticing several closed doors – and they were locked from the outside. Three of them. Three prisoners. One of them had to be Rebecca!

Mokuba moved over to the first door, rummaging in his pocket, sifting through the random junk until he located a paper clip. He knelt down, unfolded the paper clip, and stuck one end into the padlock. Picking a lock was one of the many skills Seto had taught him over the years, others of which included hacking and hotwiring cars. (Obviously, these talents were not meant to be abused.)

He was a bit rusty, but the padlock opened with a satisfying click anyway, and Mokuba flung open the door. "Oh. Serenity?"

Joey's sister stopped pacing. "Mokuba! Thank goodness – where are we?"

"The old Kaiba Mansion." Mokuba moved onto the next door. "Did you get kidnapped, too?"

"I guess… I woke up just a few minutes ago. I don't remember very much."

The second lock was opened faster than the first, but, again, no Rebecca. Inside the room was Yugi's Grandpa, who still looked half-drugged from chloroform or whatever sedative these kidnappers favored. Serenity helped him stand as Mokuba moved on.

"Come on, come on, Rebeccaaaaaa," Mokuba chanted under his breath as he fumbled with the third lock. He yanked it open and, again, opened the door. He yelped in surprise and ducked to the side as Rebecca came flying at him, fists pummeling at his chest.

"Knocking me out like the coward you are, I could take you in a fight any day and you know it!"

"Rebecca!"

Rebecca froze mid-pummel. "Mokuba? Did you get kidnapped again?"

He glared. "_No_. I'm rescuing you, Serenity, and Yugi's Grandpa."

"Oh. Good. I don't think I could date someone who got kidnapped again after so many times already." Then she threw her arms around Mokuba and hugged him tightly.

"_That's so sweet_."

Frowning, Mokuba slowly positioned Rebecca behind him as he looked at the speaker. "Duke? Ow!" Mokuba winced as several dice hit his forehead. "What was that for?"

Serenity quietly gasped. "What did they do to Duke?"

Mokuba gritted his teeth as he recognized the look in his friend's eyes. He would never forget the meaning of that emptiness, not after seeing it in Tea and Joey all those years ago. "Whoever you are, controlling Duke, stop it – and you better let us get out of here without any trouble."

"_Or else what_?" Possessed-Duke sneered.

Mokuba quickly assessed the situation. He was stockier than Duke, but only by a little, and Duke was much taller. Duke also looked fresh and ready for a brawl, while Mokuba was still panting from his run and crawl into the building. And Duke still had complete usage of all four limbs, while Mokuba's left arm was clearly hindered. Not to mention Mokuba had no desire to hurt his friend, but whoever was possessing Duke probably didn't have such qualms.

Smirking, Mokuba pulled off his cast, letting it fall to the floor.

_Bring it_.

Duke's booted foot flew up and kicked mercilessly at the spot where Mokuba's head had been not even a second earlier. On all fours, Mokuba lunged forward, grabbed Duke's other leg, and pulled him to the floor. Mokuba clambered to his feet and hovered, unsure what to do while his friend but also opponent was down, but Duke made the decision for him and hurled another die at him, this one audibly rebounding off Mokuba's forehead.

Rebecca winced at the red, square mark on his skull, but Mokuba just narrowed his eyes at the Dungeon Dice creator, who was calmly standing up. "_Little children shouldn't fight. They might get hurt_."

Mokuba tackled the older man. "Rebecca, Serenity, I'll hold him, someone find – _AAUUUUGGHHH_!" Possessed-Duke had seized Mokuba's left arm and twisted it.

White-hot pain. Black spots pervaded his vision. Everything was silent except for the sound of his own heart beating rapidly, frantically. Almost as bad as when he'd been struck by the car.

As abruptly as it had come, the pain vanished – lessened, actually, it was still there. Mokuba took advantage of the moment and socked Duke in the gut. He'd feel guilty about it later. Mokuba looked up and finally realized what had distracted Duke.

Joey, frazzled and exhausted, had shouted their names, and in the split second that Duke had switched his attention to the blond, his grip on Mokuba's arm loosened. Joey moved in to hold Duke down while Mokuba collapsed on the floor, panting heavily.

"He's possessed," Mokuba heard Serenity telling her brother. "Can't we do anything?"

"Yeah, 'course! Duke, man, snap outta it! You're still in there!"

"_You think just wishing his freedom will make it happen? Fools_."

"C'mon, Duke, I fought outta it when Marik was possessin' me, ya can do it, too!"

"_Perhaps I shall leave your friend an empty shell_ –"

Serenity slapped him. Hard. "_**Duke, I hate you**_!"

A shudder ran through Duke's body, and he made a sharp intake of breath as his eyes became vibrant again, and Duke became Duke once more. "I… What? What's going on?"

Joey was staring, slack-jawed. "You're kiddin' me – it took me ages to break away from Marik, and all it took for ya was four freakin' words – _what have you two been doin' while I'm not lookin'_?"

Mokuba interrupted before Joey, who had a dangerously throbbing vein in his forehead, could try to kill Duke. "Joey, what are you doing here?" He winced as he rubbed his arm. Oh, boy, he had a feeling that he was going to be using a cast for a long time yet…

"Dis dice punk here came over to your house while he was possessed and told me, Yugi, Yami, and your brother dat da four of ya were here and dat we needed to come with him. Once we got here, we were split up. I just fought my way out of dis giant pit of monsters – _real monsters_! Not even holograms or anythin'! And earlier, my Red Eyes, it came to life! Everyone saw it! Somethin's goin' on here."

"So you don't know where Seto is?"

"No, dey sent him to some other part of da house. How'd ya get in here, anyway, Mokuba? Dis place is crawlin' with those cloaked freaks."

"Hey, Joey?" Duke suddenly called.

"Whadaya want, ya sister-stealin', lyin', treacherous –"

"You don't have to hold me down anymore, I'm good now."

"I'll be da judge of dat."

This house was filled with memories that were best forgotten. But as Seto made his way down the dark hall, his footsteps echoing, those bitter recollections flooded, unbidden, into his mind. As he walked closer and closer to the library, the place "Duke" had told him to go, ("_I trust you know your own way around this place, Kaiba_.") those memories became even more pronounced.

Horrible Hobson and his whips, his clubs, his terrible leer. Sleepless nights spent studying for tests that he always aced, but for every assessment he passed, three more took its place.

Who awaited him behind those doors, he wondered? Without hesitation, he stepped forward and pushed them open, eyes sweeping the dusty, gray room. Books laid on the tables and shelves, yellowed with age. White cloth covered the furniture, and heavy curtains blocked all sunlight from the windows.

A shadowy figure sat with his back to Seto, seated comfortably in a tall armchair. "So you've finally showed up." That voice sounded awfully familiar…

"Who the hell are you and what do you want? Where is my brother?"

The shadow chuckled. "You really don't recognize me? Why don't you take a better look?" Slowly, unhurriedly, the shadow stood and turned.

And Seto was face to face with… himself.

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><p><strong>I really wanted Mokuba to ride a motorcycle, but, you know, the arm-in-a-cast thing… Even though he does take it off later, it's only because it's so urgent. I LOVE MOKUBA. :D Whenever I reread this chapter, I start humming the Mission Impossible theme song in my head...<strong>

**By the way, anyone heard of Hatsune Miku? Half my friends love her, half my friends hate her... Her song "World is Mine" is really catchy, but I don't like watching the live concert video of her performing it. :| (If you don't know who/what Hatsune Miku is, just google her... I was pretty surprised when I first found out about her.)**

**HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN. EAT LOTS OF CANDY. ^_^**

**Upcoming: Seto's lookalike is revealed, Kisara and the Ishtars come back, and a certain redhead shows back up again.**

**Review please!**


	23. Flowers

**Thanks so much to KaliAnn, biskittins, Mackenzie Medica, vampirediaries95, XAriciaX, Lioutenant Flame, lesnuitsdhiver, SheRese53, Meowth That's Write, miaou5, hopelessmine, and Lace Kyoko for reviewing and to movielover01 for faving!**

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><p><span>Note: Usage of the F-word in this chapter.<span>

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><p><em>Is this the end or is this the beginning?<em>

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><p>Twenty-Three: Flowers<p>

This was what the rest of the world saw when they looked at Seto Kaiba. Tall, dark, cold, sneering. Wearing the exact same outfit, the exact same coat, carrying the exact same briefcase.

Seto had only ever known one person who could pull off such a prideful, arrogant, disgusted at the world expression, even more so than himself. But it couldn't be… "So you're the one who broke into my lab."

His clone spread his arms out. "Surprised, Seto? I must admit, I find the opportunity to relive my youth to be extremely pleasing."

Seto felt rather sick. "I don't even want to know how you got ahold of my DNA."

"Really, Seto, I thought I taught you to watch your head."

Thea. That girl seemed to be behind everything these days. "Would you mind explaining how you broke into my lab?"

"Besides the fact that I have all rights to come and go as I please into and from _my_ building – well, aren't you the one who's been up to all this 'magic and science work together' business, Seto?"

"Dead people don't have the right to go anywhere. And I wouldn't have taken you for a believer of magic."

"Says the ultimate disbeliever, even when the evidence is before your very eyes. Come now, Seto, even _I_ would have noticed it – when was it, three years ago? If I'd known you were that blind, I would have left you and your brat of a brother to rot in that hellhole orphanage."

Seto growled and took a step forward. "I refuse to have you walking this world with my face."

At last, Gozaburo broke through the mask of his stepson's visage, and he smiled. "That shouldn't be a problem. Only one of us will be walking away from today alive."

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><p>Something white hit the car's hood with a loud thud, and Kisara's heart leapt to her throat. Had they run into someone?<p>

Then she realized that they hadn't hit the person. The person had hit _them_.

The white-haired boy crouched on the hood of the car like a jungle cat. Kisara remembered him. Ryou. He looked different. It wasn't just because he was slightly tanned, though – there was something in his face, in his eyes, something that wasn't truly him.

"Ryou?" Kisara whispered.

"That is not your friend," Marik said darkly.

Ishizu looked unfazed. "Bakura, what do you want?"

Bakura's eyes were bottomless, unforgiving black pools, and his face, longer than Ryou's, was twisted into a sneer. And from his neck hung the Millennium Ring. "Now why are you four heading in the opposite direction of all the excitement?" he purred.

"I'm afraid that's none of your concern," Ishizu said coolly. "However, I do admit that I'm quite curious to know how you returned to this world, after the Pharaoh defeated you."

Bakura chuckled and leaned closer to the glass. "I'm afraid that's none of your concern." His eyes flickered over to Marik, who had his hand in his pocket. "My dear friend, are you really going to try to hurt me?"

Marik glowered. "Run away before I make you."

"And here I was, trying to be the kind person that I am, to inform you that the _Pharaoh_ and his friends are all scattered throughout the old Kaiba Mansion."

Ishizu was still staring at the white-haired man suspiciously. "What have you been up to, Bakura?"

"What haven't I been up to?" His lazy gaze turned to Kisara. "It's a pity what happened to your tablet. I hope you weren't too attached to it." He leapt off the car and took off at a run. "I'll be watching the coming events, they promise to be very interesting!"

"You –!" Kisara stared out the window at his disappearing form. "That… horrible…"

"Odion, drive, the old Kaiba Mansion!" Ishizu pressed her fingers against her temple. "I should've known that thief was up to something, he's been too quiet all this time."

"I thought the Pharaoh destroyed him!" Marik protested.

"Clearly, that didn't happen. Of course he had something to do with the Blue Eyes' tablet. Once a thief, always a thief."

"You're unusually close-minded today, sis."

"Ryou – that wasn't Ryou, was it?" Kisara stammered.

"That was… um…" Marik paused. "You know how Yugi and the Pharaoh used to share a body because of the Millennium Puzzle? It's the same thing with Bakura, only with the Ring, and Bakura's darker half is nowhere near as friendly as the Pharaoh."

"What did you mean about the Pharaoh destroying Bakura?"

"Bakura's spirit comprised of Thief Bakura's soul and a part of Zorc's essence, so he was constantly seeking the seven Millennium Items and dueling the Pharaoh, but the Pharaoh defeated Bakura in a Shadow Game three years ago. Bad Bakura should have been eradicated, and we thought he was, but it looks like he was sneakier than we thought."

Thief Bakura. He had been infamous for his exploits and raids, known even to an urchin like Kisara. And _Zorc_. The main reason why he – Aknadin – had been swayed to the side of evil and had almost forced his son into doing the same.

Kisara couldn't bear the thought of any of their filthy hands touching her dragon's tablet. What had they done with it? Broken it? Smashed it? Turned it into dust?

If anything happened to it, she would _kill_ them.

She blinked and suddenly noticed the neighborhood they were speeding through. It was like the neighborhood near Seto's home, with large, beautiful houses, big lawns, and thick gardens – only this place, it had a… deader feeling to it. Of course there were still people living there, she could clearly see that from all the cars that were parked by one house in particular, but besides that, the other houses all looked dark and quiet, as if their owners had given up on the day already and just gone to bed. The lawns seemed wilted, and the gardens were heavier with dark greenery than they were with blooms.

A grand manor loomed ahead, overgrown with ivy, the garden infested with weeds, the lawn long since abandoned. They coasted to a stop before the gate, a rusted, iron behemoth with a giant tarnished, golden "K" prominently set in the center. Kisara studied the numerous windows in the old building.

Her skin beneath the bandage prickled.

"Why are we trusting what Bakura says?" Marik asked in a hushed voice. "He's probably sent us here to be ambushed."

"I doubt that he was lying. This time, at least." Ishizu pointed at some silhouetted figures skulking by the trees.

"Ishizu? Odion? Marik?" Tea stepped forward hesitantly. "Kisara!" Tristan and Mai emerged from the shadows of the cypresses. "Kisara, we were worried about you! What are you all doing here?"

"We could ask the same," Ishizu responded as she and the other three got out of the car. "Is it true that the Pharaoh is in the building?"

"Along with Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba," Tristan added. "Someone was possessing Duke, and they made him force them into coming by telling them that they had Serenity, Grandpa, and Rebecca hostage. And apparently Mokuba's dating Rebecca and went ahead on his own, so he should be around here somewhere, too."

Mai held her hands up. "I have no idea what's going on. Does anyone even know who's behind all this, or if there are more people trapped in there?"

"I –" Kisara began before she was interrupted by Tea.

"What happened to you? You were missing earlier, Kaiba was looking for you."

"There… There was this… ninja?"

"It was Strike Ninja," Odion clarified. "It came to life somehow and abducted Kisara, but we saw them and stopped it."

Tristan's eyes widened. "So Yami was right? The barrier between our world and the Shadow Realm really is breaking again?"

Ishizu shrugged halfheartedly. "That is a very likely possibility. We may be seeing even more monsters soon, just like three years ago."

Mai continued, "And earlier, Joey's Red Eyes came –"

A red blur crashed into Marik, sobbing and gasping. "Thea?" Marik asked incredulously, wrapping his arms around her. "Thea, what's wrong? How did you get here?"

"Y-Y-Y-You have to s-stop them! They're going in-in-insane! My uncle, he – I can't – please, get them to stop! I d-d-don't know what they're d-doing!"

"Thea, calm down and tell us what's going on."

"Why don't you let us do that for you?"

They whipped around, only to find themselves surrounded by hooded and robed figures. The long shadows cast by the setting sun served to obscure their faces even more and made them loom likeg giants. The hems of their black cloaks touched the ground, and besides the metal Duel Disk-like objects they all carried, each also had an assortment of deadly, wicked-looking knives and blades.

One of the men, who carried a pair of daggers that were stained red, turned his head slightly to face Thea's direction. "Stop your sniveling, Theodosia, you're a disgrace to the family. Now carry out the duty you have been assigned."

Thea pulled away from Marik and glared coldly at the man. "Go fuck yourself, Dimitri."

Dimitri clucked his tongue in disappointment. "I told them that letting you into the city on your own was a bad idea." The toe of his boot touched a dandelion by his feet. "Did you know that little flowers can get crushed very easily?" He ground the yellow head beneath his heel.

"_You wouldn't dare_."

"I don't want to have to mutilate as pretty a blossom as Aikaterine, but if that's what it takes to rein you in…Now prove your loyalty to the family. You can start with your boyfriend here."

Two men grabbed Marik and yanked his head back, offering up his neck for sacrifice. Ishizu and Odion started forward, but the other hooded figures swarmed, holding everyone back.

Thea crossed her arms, eyes unreadable. "…I don't have a knife."

Dimitri snorted. "Please, Theodosia, you _always_ have a knife."

Scowling, Thea reached into her jacket and withdrew a curved blade. Her dark eyes met Marik's disbelieving ones before hardening, emptying of all emotion. Fast as lightning, she twisted her arm and hurled the dagger.

One of the men holding Marik stiffened before crumpling to the ground, knife sticking square out of his neck. The other man stared in shock at the body, and that gave Marik all the distraction he needed to bring his free arm up and slam his fist into the man's gut.

Before Kisara or the others could even react, Thea had already slit two more men's throats. "Well! Parricide, who knew that you had it in you!" Dimitri crowed, grinning wolfishly as Thea spun around to face him. "Makes me feel like I should catch up."

"Don't you dare hurt Kate, you bastard!"

"Hey, I'm legitimate." He blocked Thea's attack, his own coming dangerously close to hitting her. "And who would hurt Aikaterine? She's made of pure sweetness. Unlike you. You're made out of bitterness, with a bit of sourness mixed in."

Kisara growled. She couldn't just stand there! She looked back at the mansion. "I'm going to find Seto." She ran off before her friends could protest or the hooded men could try to stop her.

With a grunt, she pushed open the gate and raced across the unkempt grass, searching for any sign of life in the building. "Kisara!" Mokuba and Joey were helping some others out of a hatch in the ground.

The earth trembled, and Kisara fell to her knees as it shook, looking up when she heard a roar coming from within the mansion. A duel? Was that Seto, or someone else? She stood again and continued sprinting.

Then someone emerged from the front doors of the house, and Kisara's eyes lit up. "Seto!"

"Kisara?"

She started toward him when suddenly, someone else came from the side of the house. "Kisara!"

She froze. "S…Seto?" Her eyes darted between the two Setos, heart beating frantically, mind reeling in confusion. "What…?"

"Kisara, he's an impostor!"

"Don't listen to him, Kisara, he's trying to trick you!"

Kisara took a step back. "_Huh_?"

"You don't seriously think he's me, do you? You know me better than that!"

"He's doing his best to make you think he's the real me, don't fall for it!"

She took a deep breath, trying to think clearly. It wasn't working. _Seto is… on the left? No, the right? No, I… I don't know! I DON'T KNOW!_ "Prove it!" The two Setos stared at her quizzically. "Prove that you're the real Seto!"

"How?"

"Um…" She glanced between them. "I…" Duel Disks, they were both wearing Duel Disks. "You…" What had Seto once told her, while he'd been teaching her Duel Monsters? Or what had she said to him? "…Play my favorite card."

"What?"

"Play my favorite Duel Monsters card. The real Seto knows which one it is." Her gaze hardened, but as the two Setos stared back at her – _Can't you tell that it's me?_ – her heart broke a little.

_Seto would know who was the real me._

Why couldn't she do the same for him?

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><p><strong>Graaaaarrrrr... I just got back from a football game at school... I'm in band, so I have to play at every home game. We won, but it was <em>cold<em>. _**

**NaNoWriMo is going great! I'm a couple thousand words ahead of the average NaNo-er right now. :)**

**Anyway, I'm exhausted. -_- Curse you, school...**

**Manga of the Moment: Finished Dengeki Daisy and Black Bird a few days ago, now reading Love So Life. (IT'S SO CUTE.)**

**POLL: I'm curious who your favorite supporting character is. So of these three, I'd really appreciate it if you could mention in a review or PM who's your favorite: Professor Singh, Price the Private Eye, or Noah, He-Who-Lives-In-Laptops. (Thea doesn't seen to have many fans, so I left her off the list. However, if you _do_ like her, please tell me!)**

**Upcoming: Who is the real Seto Kaiba? Will Kisara choose correctly? Which side is Thea really on? Why do I feel like I'm narrating a soap opera? Tune in next week on Channel 13 for the final installment – until next season, that is! (Read: the sequel)**

**Review please!**


	24. Horizon

**Thanks so much to Lioutenant Flame, XAriciaX, Thunderscourge, biskittins, lesnuitsdhiver, plenoptic, mackenziemedica, SheRese53, hopelessmine, Meowth That's Write, and Cloisenne for reviewing, to Wulfeh and KolaByNikola for faving, and to EVERYONE for supporting this story!**

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><p><span>Oh, yeah, poll results. Not a lot of people told me their favorite supporting character, but it seems like Noah's the favorite.<span>

Noah: 3 and 1/3. Price: 1 and 1/3. Singh: 1 and 1/3. (They each have the 1/3 because someone said they liked all of them, so I just split that point, hehe.)

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><p><em>Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.<em>

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><p>Twenty-Four: Horizon<p>

Lightning seared across the torrential sky, lighting up the lawn, for a brief second illuminating the unmoving figures of the two Seto Kaibas.

Then slowly, they raised their left arms and activated their Duel Disks.

They both reached toward their belts and removed their decks, quickly shuffled through them, and scanned each card until they reached the one they had been searching for.

"_Blue Eyes White Dragon_!" The great beast bellowed as it came to life, brilliant light surrounding it as it craned its majestic head and glowered down at the people standing at its feet.

The real Seto Kaiba smirked – though how Gozaburo had gotten ahold of a Blue Eyes, he didn't know – and played his card of choice.

"_Wish of Final Effort_."

And the silver-haired girl rose from a swirl of light in the ground, head bowed as she wielded her shining sword.

"Nice try, Gozaburo, but even if Kisara does have strong ties to the Blue Eyes, it's not her favorite card." Seto turned to look at Kisara.

She stood, frozen, hands slightly outstretched to the sides, blinding white-blue light spilling from her eyes, mouth agape.

"Kisara!"

Gozaburo threw his head back and laughed. "That's right, Seto, this Blue Eyes is no hologram."

"But – how?"

If Gozaburo still had his mustache, he probably would've been twirling it. "Someone else may have done the dirty work, but I was the one who paid for the dragon tablet from Egypt. And contrary to what the foolish girl thinks, the Blue Eyes is indeed still connected to her, and after… accessing certain information, I was able to replicate the link to summon the Blue Eyes – the _real_ Blue Eyes – with a card rather than with the tablet." Gozaburo bowed mockingly. "Now if you'll excuse me, my colleagues and I will be taking the Blue Eyes and the girl with us."

_Over my dead body._ Suddenly, the Wish of Final Effort warrior's head snapped up. She glared at Gozaburo and, without hesitation, charged.

Gozaburo barely managed to duck out of the way as he lost a good part of his coat to the warrior's sword.

"Guess what, Gozaburo? She's no hologram, either."

A loud _boom _erupted, and suddenly there was a gaping hole in the side of the house. "And neither is he," Yami's deep voice echoed. "Summoned Skull, _Lightning Strike_!"

The skeletal giant emerged, charged up a blinding death ray, and hurled at Gozaburo. Yugi bellowed, "Gaia the Fierce Knight!" and furiously turned on the cloaked figures who were trying to creep their way towards Kisara.

While Gozaburo and the hooded men were all preoccupied with trying to escape with their lives, Seto dashed toward the stunned girl. "Kisara! Shake it off! _Kisara_!"

Nothing happened.

Seto desperately turned to look back at Yami and Yugi, who had managed to fight their way to the other side of the lawn. His eyes fell on Gozaburo and the device on his arm. "The card!"

Yugi's Knight's horse reared and charged, shrieking with a mad fury. The Knight lowered its spear and thrust forward, piercing Gozaburo's Duel Disk and crushing it to the ground. Immediately, the white light died, and Kisara stumbled forward into Seto's arms.

"Seto… is it the real you?"

"We first kissed that day, too, didn't we?"

A brilliant smile broke out on her face, but it quickly vanished once she saw the battle that was going on. "So it was him? Gozaburo, your stepfather."

"I'm still hazy on the details, but yeah."

Gozaburo made an attempt on the smoking ruins of the Duel Disk, obviously intent on retrieving the Blue Eyes card, but Summoned Skull immediately hailed a storm of lightning down on him and sent the imposter scuttling back.

All of a sudden, one of the hooded men screamed as he caught on fire, and in a great flash of light, all that was left of him were smoldering ashes. To Seto's bewilderment, another man instantly threw himself to the ground and began muttering a rapid prayer, but one of his comrades yanked on his arm and pulled him with the others as they fled. "Retreat!" someone shrieked.

Gozaburo snarled as he backed up, following in their path. "Goodbye, Seto. I suggest you keep a close eye on the girl. You never know…" Then he, along with all the cloaked figures, vanished.

"_KAIBA, KISARA, GET AWAY FROM THE HOUSE_!"

Seto and Kisara stared at Tea uncomprehendingly.

"_THERE IS A BOMB IN THERE_!"

Immediately, Seto seized Kisara's hand and they took off at a full-on sprint. They had almost reached the others standing at the gate when they felt, rather than heard, the explosion. It rippled the air and burned their skin, and there was a deafening crack that almost made their ears bleed. Seto grabbed Kisara and pulled her to the ground, covering her as flaming rubble rained down on them. Then something struck his head, and all he heard was Kisara's fading cry as his vision turned white.

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><p>Two-year-old Seto noticed far many more things than other toddlers did. For a while, he'd noticed that his mother's stomach was much rounder than usual, and the word "sister" kept echoing in his head. His mother was always smiling and laughing, his father was always smiling and laughing, so Seto copied them and smiled and laughed.<p>

Then one day, while his father was gone, there were no smiles or laughs. Seto tried to busy himself in his playpen, but the wails and cries from upstairs wouldn't stop. A strange lady had come in earlier and then left with a bundle of blankets and rags that were stained red.

And all Seto could think was that he wished his mother would smile and laugh again, because she was so pretty when she was happy, and when she was happy, he was happy. Someone touched his head, and he looked up at the strange lady, who smiled sadly at him before disappearing back upstairs. She never came back down.

Soon Seto's mother was all right again. Instead of slipping further and further into her gloom and emotionlessness, she held on and pulled herself back up. Seto always kept an eye out for that strange lady who _must_ have helped his mother get better, but he never saw her again.

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><p>Mokuba had been born early. Too early. Their mother was already dead, and the doctors and nurses said in grave, hushed voices that the newborn would be following her soon. Five-year-old Seto hadn't completely grasped the concept of death yet, but he did understand that his mother wasn't coming back and that he might not ever be able to play with his little brother.<p>

Seto placed his hands against the glass of the machine that kept Mokuba alive, gazing intently at the tiny body, the red face, the tuft of black hair. Suddenly, his little brother twitched, and his chest rose and fell rapidly as wheezing gasps escaped his mouth in short bursts.

Panicking, Seto tried to call out for help, but his cry caught in his throat as his little brother's body started getting stiller.

Beside him, someone leaned forward and stretched out their hands, which _passed through_ the glass as if it were water, and laid them gently on Mokuba. A soft glow illuminated Seto's brother, whose face turned a healthy shade of pink, and his breathing became normal.

The person tousled Seto's hair and left without a word.

* * *

><p>Seto got his hands on his first mythology book and was immediately hooked. Egyptian gods, Greek gods, Norse gods, Japanese gods, African gods, Native American gods – wouldn't it be funny if they actually existed? All the strange and unusual and unexplainable things that happened every day could be simply explained by the presence of <em>magic<em>?

* * *

><p>Their father had been killed in an accident, and now they were doomed to spend the rest of their childhood in this <em>orphanage<em>. Mokuba was bullied so often, Seto worried that one day he wouldn't be able to be there to stand up for him. But somehow, he was always there. Somehow, the chess set was always free whenever Seto wanted it. Somehow, Seto was always in front of the TV whenever Gozaburo Kaiba's chess competitions were being aired.

And somehow, when Thea showed up at the orphanage, Seto knew that he really ought to be nice to her, or he might regret it later…

* * *

><p>Gozaburo Kaiba hadn't intended on bringing the reporters with him to the orphanage, but, at the advice of an assistant, he decided last minute that it would be more beneficial for him to turn it into a publicity stunt.<p>

Well, if the press hadn't been there, Seto and Mokuba wouldn't have been adopted because Gozaburo wouldn't have even considered accepting Seto's challenge to chess.

Lucky them, Seto thought bitterly as he did his fortieth calculus problem that night. When Horrible Hobson finally set him free, Seto's hand ached, and he wondered what would happen if he lost his ability to hold a pen.

He flopped down on the couch and stared at one of the few books that he had managed to save all these years. It hadn't been left behind at his old house, it hadn't been stolen at the orphanage, it hadn't been confiscated by Hobson. Pictures of Amun and Zeus and Odin swirled on the cover, and Seto flipped through the book one last time before chucking it in the fireplace.

If there were gods and magic, they wouldn't have let his sister die.

If there were gods and magic, they wouldn't have let his mother die.

If there were gods and magic, they wouldn't have let his father die.

If there were gods and magic, they wouldn't have let him be so stupid as to actually insist that Gozaburo adopt them.

And so as the pages shriveled and blackened and turned to ashes, he stopped believing.

* * *

><p>"<em>Fortune Lady Water<em>!"

Yugi's monster rose from a whirlpool, and without even needing a command, she unleashed a tidal wave on the burning mansion, ebbing and flowing, rising and retreating, again and again until the flames simmered down and then, finally, were quenched.

Seto could smell the singed sections of his coat as he stirred, shaking his head free of the last fuzzy remnants of his – dream? Vision? Kisara was kneeling beside him, lips mouthing words that he couldn't hear. "– you okay?"

He managed to nod as he sat up and stood wordlessly. Seto brushed the ashes off his clothes as he and Kisara exited through the gate – only to stop dead in their tracks.

Four bodies littered the ground, all looking like they had died particularly gruesome deaths. Their hoods were drawn over their heads, masking their faces, but even that did nothing to hide the fact that one of the men's throat was torn wide open. And kneeling beside them, looking deep in thought, was Thea.

Seto, determined to overcome his bout of whatever back there, drew himself up to his full height. "Care to tell us what exactly happened back there – and here?"

"Just a little family quarrel." She stood, wiping dirt off her pants. "We're usually not this violent."

"_Explain_."

Thea rolled her eyes. "Well, you've obviously realized by now that my uncle doesn't really own a security company."

"No, really?"

"We do odd jobs here and there. Gozaburo Kaiba paid for our services for the past few months. Obtain the Blue Eyes' stone tablet in Egypt, gather intelligence on you all, help him clone your body in order to create a physical host for him, that kind of crap."

Seto narrowed his eyes. "But you and your family aren't just hired pawns in Gozaburo's game, are you?"

"As astute as ever, Kaiba. No, my dear family had their own reasons for getting involved."

"And those reasons would be?"

Thea shrugged. "We really don't like you."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, nothing against you _personally_, I guess it's more just the bad luck of who you were in a past life – oh, don't look so surprised. Same goes with Yugi Muto over there, Joey Wheeler, obviously the Pharaoh… My family especially hates the Ishtars. Absolutely despises them."

Yami's eyebrows rose. "Your family has a vendetta against those with ties to ancient Egypt?"

"Bull's-eye, Mr. Pharaoh."

Yami waited. Thea said nothing. "Care to elaborate?"

Thea sighed dramatically. "All you have to do is ask. See, the Greek and Egyptian clans have never really liked one another. Some old, deep-seated, pointless rivalry. You Ishtars dedicate your lives to protecting the heritage of this Pharaoh here. My family has dedicated the past millennia to protecting another heritage. According to each of our family's mindsets, only one of our heritages can actually exist, can actually be based in truth. So in each of our opinions, the other family is made of heretics and frauds."

Ishizu frowned. "Then why have we never heard of you?"

"You and your brothers haven't. Your father probably took the rivalry with him to his grave – at least on the Ishtar side." Then Thea turned and looked at Seto thoughtfully. "Mr. Kaiba, do you believe in higher beings?"

For some reason, he felt chilled to the bone. "I'm an atheist."

"That doesn't answer my question. Do you believe there are gods? Not _God_, but _gods_."

"This isn't just some philosophical question, is it?"

The redheaded girl smiled so angelically, they almost forgot that she had just singlehandedly killed four men who were related to her by blood. Almost. "Perhaps not."

Mokuba frowned. "Are you suggesting that… gods exist?"

"People don't just spontaneously burn to death, do they, Mr. Mokuba? And, of course, we can't forget how World War III ties in. What kind of supernatural beings are infamous for stirring up trouble, I wonder?"

_All those hurricanes, storms, earthquakes, freak accidents._

_Fawkes going insane, being mysteriously killed._

_Singh's cryptic answers._

_The "other" force, besides the Shadow Realm._

_That man being immolated._

_His mother saved from depression and bleeding to death the first time._

_Mokuba healed and rescued from the brink of death as an infant._

_Always knowing when and where Mokuba was being bullied._

_Always catching Gozaburo's chess matches on TV._

_Those dreams of Kisara._

_Magic. Magic, magic, magic, magic, __**magic**__._

"Hellenic gods, Egyptian gods, Japanese gods, Norse gods – they're all well and alive."

"Hey, that's a little –" Tristan struggled to find the right words. "Okay, the Shadow Realm obviously exists, I got that. But actual gods – isn't that going a bit too far?"

Thea leveled her piercing green stare at the brunet. "Who do you think created the Shadow Realm? Who do you think created the Millennium Spellbook that made it possible for the Millennium Items to come into existence? Who –"

"Who started a party and didn't invite me?"

Seto looked up at Price, who was somehow sitting on top of one of the columns of the gate and looking like he couldn't decide whether he should try and be serious or just screw it and be an idiot as usual.

"I should've seen this coming," Seto muttered.

"Yeah, you really should have," Price agreed.

Seto crossed his arms and looked up. "You couldn't have helped us out while we were fighting for our lives?"

Wait. That man who had mysteriously caught on fire and burned to death in seconds… had there been a shadow in the sky at the time, or was Seto just imagining things?

"Nah. It's more fun to watch." Price flashed a grin for a second. "You've been busy today, haven't you, Kaiba? I can't take my eyes off you for a minute before someone runs off into mortal danger, geeze."

Had his meeting with Price really only been that afternoon? "Why exactly are you watching me?"

"Not just you. I've also been assigned to watch Mr. Muto, Mr. Pharaoh, Mr. Wheeler, and…" Price faced Thea again, stony expression falling back in place. "My friends – my family – have sent me to summon you, Theodosia. We have many questions, and we expect many answers."

Mokuba frowned. "Your family…?"

"Yes…?"

A second later, it clicked. Mokuba's eyes widened. "No way."

"Yeah way." Price snapped his fingers. "Oh, before I forget, I was also sent here to deliver a warning. You guys have noticed monsters popping up recently, right?"

"My Red Eyes came to life!" Joey exclaimed. "Of course we noticed!"

"Ah, right, sorry about the striking-you-with-lightning thing. _Someone_ has a flair for theatrics."

Joey looked befuddled. "What does da lightnin' have to do wit da monsters?"

"Heh? Oh. Um. It's complicated. I'll let someone else explain it. Yeah, besides that – the Strike Ninja earlier, Kisara? He was one of the few monsters who have slowly been escaping the Shadow Realm, and there are only more to come. And when they come… let's just say they're going to hunt you all down." Price examined his nails.

"Why?" Yugi asked, wide-eyed.

"Some of them are hungry, some of them are bored, some of them are angry at you for some reason or the other. Even your mansion and all the high-tech security won't be enough to keep them out, Kaiba."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Yami asked evenly.

"The third message I was sent to deliver – an invitation, to you all, to stay with my family and me and be under our protection until the danger passes."

Mokuba's eyes widened. "We're going to see… _that_?"

"Yes, you're going to see _that_. And –" Price pointed at Seto. "Before you say no, Kaiba, because I know that's what you were about to do – think about it. Not only will monsters from the Shadow Realm be after you, but so will Theodosia's family and their assorted exotic pets."

"Pets?"

"Chimeras, hellhounds, harpies, hydras, the works."

"So you're suggesting that we all just run away and hide behind you and your family – whom we don't even know – while you all take care of our problem?"

Price shrugged. "We were going to offer to teach you other ways to defend yourself from monsters, but if you prefer cowering, then that's fine with me."

"And your family has particular expertise in slaying monsters?" Seto asked dryly.

"You betcha – wait, Mokuba's actually the only one who's figured it out so far?" Price stifled a laugh. "Ohhh, boy…" He stood and stretched. "You guys have obviously been through a lot today. I'll leave now and let you think over your answer. My friend will be here within a week to escort all those who desire it to our home."

Mokuba blinked. "You're not taking us?"

Price snorted. "My family doesn't trust me with tasks as important as that. No, Ali has experience with singlehandedly protecting huge groups of bickering mortals. She'll be here within the week, but she could show up even sooner, it depends on how fast she finishes up her current assignment. You'll be able to tell that it's her when you see her. Of course, Theodosia, this invitation is, well, mandatory, for you." Wings snapped out from the sides of Price's baseball cap and shoes. "If any of you see Neal before Ali comes, give him my regards!" With a salute, he took flight, zipping through the trees and disappearing over the horizon.

"Did I just see what I think I just saw?" Tea muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"How do we know if we can trust da kid?" Joey demanded. "What if he's tryin' to kill us, too?"

"He is a god," Thea said quietly. "He intends no harm. He wants to help."

"Well, it's not like we trust ya, either, since your family was tryin' to kill us earlier and pretty much every word we hear from ya is a lie."

Tristan nodded, still unconvinced. "Magic, yes. Gods? I just think you're plain cra –"

"When this Ali arrives, I'm taking them up on their offer," Seto said matter-of-factly.

"What? C'mon, Kaiba, you're da one usually –"

"I've met Price before. I don't know him well, but I trust him." Here's hoping he didn't end up eating his words later. "We've seen with our own eyes that what he says about the Shadow Realm is true. Monsters are coming into our world again. Last time this happened, they attacked us, so there's no reason to believe they wouldn't do otherwise this time. That means staying put is the worst choice we could make, and we'd have better chances elsewhere. We can't possibly hope to run away from the monsters forever, so our best chances are to accept Price's protection. And this Ali is going to be alone when she shows up, while there are clearly more of us. We should be able to fight her off if need be."

"But you don't actually believe them about _gods_, do you?" Tristan protested.

"I've decided to hold off on my final verdict on that for now."

Joey stared at Seto, grinding his teeth, before finally glaring and folding his arms. "If we die because of dis, I'm gonna kill ya, Money Bags."

Seto shrugged. "Get in line." He turned his back on Joey and motioned to Kisara and Mokuba. "Let's go home."

"I need to drop off Rebecca first. And I have to pick up the Porsche, anyway."

"Yeah, I need to talk to you about your little stunt today, Mokuba." Seto tousled his brother's hair and walked with Kisara to his own car. "You okay?"

She looked at him, tears in her eyes as she clutched her chest. At first he was alarmed, but then he realized that she was smiling. "It's still there. My dragon never left me."

Which reminded him, he needed to take care of the tablet-card business so that Gozaburo couldn't try to control Kisara again. Seto wrapped his arms around Kisara and buried his face in her hair. "I have a feeling we're going to need it." He looked over at the column that Price had been perched on. With those wings, Seto knew which mythological character Price had reminded him of.

It was just that after all this time, it turned out that he still couldn't believe his own eyes.

* * *

><p>TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Ahhh, Part I is finally over. Boy, I forgot how much energy writing fanfiction takes out of you. ^_^<strong>

**Hopefully, this chapter didn't confuse everyone too much. It sounded nice and – well, it made sense in my head, but actually writing it out was _hard_. T_T Some of you may have figured out the gist of what Price was talking about, others of you are probably thoroughly confuzzled… I was originally going to tie up all the loose ends in this chapter, but I had to leave _some_ questions unanswered so that I have something to work with in Part II. XD **

**So I went with the vaguer way. _However_, any questions that this chapter may have generated will most likely be answered very early in Part II. (In case you couldn't tell, this chapter was putting a LOT of pressure on me… It's gone through several serious revisions.) But if you're REALLY, REALLY confused, maybe you could read the summary again…?**

**I really wish I could've had more time to make some final tweaks on this chapter, but I went to the funeral of the little brother of one of my best friends today (it's been a rough week), and then I froze my butt off for three hours at a mandatory football game and just got back. So. Kinda depressed and didn't really feel up to doing anything when I got home between the funeral and the game.**

**My first fanfiction after an 18 month/2 year hiatus – it was very fun, and I think it was kind of successful. :) Of course, THIS IS NOT THE END! My current priority is NaNoWriMo, and after that I'm going to be editing the manuscript (going to give it to a friend for her birthday), but I am 97.8% certain that I will be able to start updating Part II before winter break.**

**Thank you all so much for all your support! I try to respond to everyone's reviews, and I apologize if I've missed any. It's been a great five months, and I look forward to writing Part II soon!**


	25. Crazy

**Thanks so much to XAriciaX, Lioutenant Flame, biskittins, miaou5, MackenzieMedica, Wendy Wan, plenoptic, Lace Kyoko, Meowth That's Write, SouJaE, hopelessmine, Wulfeh, Miseri, NitratesTrot, TeresaShiho, and The Duelist's Heiress for reviewing, and to Mimiholly, Cenizas, Juliedoo, sweetsummerrain, Soul, VyFayria, and dragonflare137 for faving/alerting!**

* * *

><p><em>Sands of darkness, full of lies, Sands of shadows, full of cries.<em>

* * *

><p>Twenty-Five: Crazy<p>

The growls of a caravan of Hummers pierced the dark and muggy silence of the Egyptian night. Hot sand flew up in the air as massive tires tore across the desert, and in the distance an ancient, near-forgotten temple grew closer and closer.

"And so we return to the land of the barbarians," said a man named Dimitri, a hunter with catlike grace and a lethal stare. In his hands he twirled a dagger as carelessly as if it were a toy, the blade still stained red from a recent incident with his dear cousin. From behind him came the sound of someone nervously clearing their throat. Dimitri's black eyes roved back, and he sighed. "Yes, George?"

George took off his glasses, wiped the lenses, and put them back on. "Ah, D-D-D-Dimitri, I understand the old m-m-meaning of barbarian, which includes anyone not G-Greek, like us, but technically, the Egyptians –"

"Barbarians."

"Yes, Dimitri."

Just as he thought he was going to get some peace and quiet, another noise sounded from behind him, this time quiet sniffles. Slowly, lazily, he smiled and looked back at the pretty, redheaded girl wrapped in a woolen blanket. "Why the tears, Aikaterine?"

She sniffed again and glowered at him, a chilling glare that reminded Dimitri of another female cousin of his. "I want Thea."

"What would you say if I told you she abandoned you?"

Kate spewed out some four-letter words that sounded unnaturally couth on the innocent fifteen-year-old's lips.

"See, Thea _is_ a bad influence on you."

"Let me go home!"

"No can do, Kaiba's probably called the police on us. Sorry," Dimitri said, not sounding sorry at all.

"When Thea gets her hands on you –"

"You want Thea so badly? How about this, if you behave yourself, then I'll bring her bleeding, broken body to you first." Dimitri slammed his knife into the dashboard, where it quivered, buried almost up to its hilt.

The creeping line of black vehicles coasted to a stop around the temple, and masked and robed figures swarmed out of the Hummers. Dimitri stepped out of the one closest to the mouth of the sanctuary, dragged out Kate, and pulled her after him into the temple. George skittered anxiously after them, followed by their remaining family and associates like a giant, moving shadow.

Dimitri sneered at the looming Duel Monsters tablets as they passed them. _Monsters?_ The Egyptians had seen nothing. They would run away crying to their mothers at the mere site of one of his pet hellhounds.

The tablet that should have stood at the end of the hall was missing. Secure in one of the family vaults. But tonight, Dimitri was more interested in the two tablets that stood around the empty space. "Greetings, most honored magicians…" he hissed, and the torchlight around him flickered. The master and his apprentice seemed to be glaring haughtily down at him, but he merely returned the stare. "Now, Aikaterine, it's time for you to finally be of use to our family."

* * *

><p>Hermes. Roman name: Mercury. Greek god of tricksters, thieves, merchants, travelers, messengers, boundaries, wits, orators, sports, inventions, and… cowherds. Couldn't forget the cowherds. Basically, he was the god of anyone who relied on dexterity or cunning. Or both.<p>

Did cowherds require dexterity or cunning? She'd never met one before.

After hearing the name whispered, shouted, and snarled around the house all day by Seto and Yugi and the Pharaoh and their various friends who'd come to discuss – or just plain argue – about their impending plans and possible journeys, Kisara gave in and looked up that boy with the winged shoes and hat. And then that had led to reading about Zeus, Hera, Apollo…

Well, at least the Egyptians weren't the only ones with crazy mythologies. But according to Thea, they weren't just myths. That suggestion wasn't hard for Kisara to swallow, since she _had_ spent most of her life believing that the gods guided her every step, as did her entire people – but her friends, who were strictly twenty-first century, were having trouble wrapping their minds around it.

Kisara cringed at the sound of a crash from downstairs, and angry voices rose again. Seto had been fighting nonstop with Joey and Tristan about the events of the past few days – and what their decisions about this Ali person would be. Joey and Tristan, and many of their other friends, watned to stay in Domino until the "monsters" Thea had mentioned came, if ever.

Seto, surprising everyone except Kisara, wanted to leave. ("Besides," he'd added, "no one said that I had to stay with you dweebs.")

All Kisara knew was that where Seto went, she would go, and so would Mokuba, she was sure. The Pharaoh also seemed prepared to head into the unknown, as did Yugi, but everyone else was opposed to the idea of placing their lives in the hands of a stranger.

"I'm done. You can put the finishing touches, can't you?" Mai held up the near-finished product for Kisara's approval. Mai was one of the ones who wanted to stay in the city.

"It's great. Thank you." Kisara clutched the object in her hands, staring at it as Mai left her room, blinking rapidly as the memories it unearthed flooded into her mind. Wasn't this twenty-first century supposed to be… _safer_ than her Egypt? Why did they still have to worry about death around every corner?

She hissed as pain briefly throbbed in her arm. She gripped the aching limb and slowly opened her palm, frowning grimly at the ever growing black mark on her pale skin. It was like an ink blot that thought for itself. Instead of steadily expanding in a circular fashion, its tendrils and legs wound themselves around her hand and fingers and were finally starting to curl towards her wrist.

More bandages. Kisara grabbed the roll of gauze in her drawer and quickly added another strip of it. Feeble protection, but it was all she had. Another shout from downstairs drew her attention again. She squared her shoulders and headed out the door.

Mai had joined the argument, which also included Tea, Duke, Serenity, Mokuba, Rebecca, and the Ishtars. Basically, everyone who'd been at the old Kaiba Mansion yesterday, except Thea, who'd disappeared again. Judging by Seto's mood, Kisara was surprised he'd even let any of them in.

"– don't care if you dweebs want to play hero and 'hold down the fort,'" Seto was saying. "I refuse to stay here like a sitting duck while those monsters come."

Tristan threw his arms up in the air. "Kaiba, aren't you supposed to be the cynical one with his head up his –" He made a violent gesture with his hands. "You're supposed to doubt there are even monsters in the first place. You're supposed to doubt that they can get past your security. You're –"

"Don't tell me what I'm 'supposed' to do, Taylor. You don't know me, I don't know you, and I for one and perfectly fine with leaving it that way. Like I said, you can stay here and get turned into monster food if that makes you happy. Mokuba, Kisara, and I are leaving, and that's final."

Mai looked back at Kisara. "Kisara, is that what you want?"

Without hesitation, Kisara nodded.

Joey scowled. "Well, fine, go ahead and get killed by a psycho girl you've never even met before, if that's what makes ya happy."

"Joey." Yami's quiet voice silenced his friend. "I think you should come with us."

The blond stared at the Pharaoh. "Why?"

"Don't you remember what happened with your Red Eyes?" Yugi piped in. "Don't you think we should try to find out what exactly happened to make the four of us be able to summon real monsters?"

Joey sighed quietly and folded his arms, looking around the room. "Well, Yug, you're just gonna have to come back and tell me what happened, 'cause I'm not leavin' Serenity here alone."

"I wouldn't be alone," Serenity interjected. "Tristan, Tea, Duke, Mai –"

"I'm your brother, Serenity! Even if da – da Secret Service were here to protect ya, I'd still wanna stay! You're my sister, and I'm not leavin' ya just so I can answer a few questions of mine."

"Joey, she'll be –"

"Okay, this argument can take place _outside_ of my house." Seto gestured at the door. "Anyone who doesn't live here – get out."

"Wait," Mokuba said as everyone was trickling out of the room. "Ishizu, Marik, Odion – you're not going to come? I thought you'd want to see the… gods."

Ishizu nodded slightly. "As much as we would like to, we'd rather play it safe. The Greeks hold a grudge against us. We have no idea if their gods feel the same way, or if it's just their followers who feel antagonistic. Should we receive word that we would be welcome, then we'll discuss it."

Kisara waved goodbye as the front doors shut behind their friends. Now it was only her, Seto, and Mokuba standing in silence in the living room. Then Mokuba coughed and excused himself, leaving only two of them. Kisara opened her mouth to ask what she should do to prepare for their departure when another subject that had been bothering her all day hit her. "Seto, did you do something to my laptop?"

Seto stiffened. "Why?"

Kisara narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Just tell me if you went near it yesterday or today, Seto."

"I… may have deleted a virus."

The silence pervaded for a few moments longer. Then – "_YOU DELETED NOAH_?"

"Yes, I – oh, so you did know about him this whole time." Seto frowned. "Why didn't you tell me about him?"

"Because he asked me not to!"

"So you trust him more than you trust me."

"I never said that!" Kisara snapped. "It's because he said that you hated him and would probably do something bad to him before he could say anything in his defense, and Mokuba agreed. And it turns out they're right!"

Seto scowled. "You have no idea what he did to Mokuba and me!"

"I do! I do have an idea! He told me that he was awful, and he told me that what he did was wrong! But he hasn't done anything to me all these weeks since I've met him!" Kisara jabbed her finger in Seto's chest. "_How could you get rid of him_?"

"Noah was – he –"

"Noah was _what_, Seto?"

"He was annoying me."

Kisara's mouth felt dry. "I see."

"Kisara –"

"Thank you so much for – for _deleting_ one of my best friends because he was _annoying you_." Kisara stalked out and raced up the stairs before he could stop her.

She slammed her bedroom door shut then made a beeline for her computer. The background of clouds was still devoid of sleeping, green-haired boys, as it had been all day. She contemplated asking Mokuba to help retrieve Noah, if possible, but then decided there was no point. Seto would've made sure that Noah would stay gone, permanently.

* * *

><p><strong>First of all, I am so sorry for the long delay. My Yu-Gi-Oh juices completely dried up the past few months. Unfortunately, I don't think they'll get flowing again anytime soon, so I'm not sure when I'll next be updating, and unlike Part I, I don't have an outline written for Part II. (I do have a general idea where I want to go, and I'll be switching POVs more often to some of my OCs.) So if anyone has any ideas they'd like to contribute to the story, I'd be glad to hear them!<strong>

**Someone has offered to translate this story to Chinese, so it's actually mainly thanks to them that I've gotten inspired to work on this chapter again. I'm not sure how many of you can read Chinese, but I'll let you know anyway when they start posting the translations.**

**Thanks so much for staying with TWCSR all this time! I'll try to update as soon as possible. (Keep me inspired, my lovely readers! ^^)**

**~reader13**


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